Training | 2009.12.17
First heavy snow of winter on way
East and south-east England face the threat of heavy snow showers
Contingency plans to keep roads open and railways running during heavy snow were being rolled out last night as the Met Office issued its first warnings of severe snow this winter.
As parts of East Anglia and south-east England, including London, felt the first icy blasts, Age Concern and Help the Aged prepared advice from obtaining financial support with heating bills to wearing non-slip soles on footwear and putting salt and sand on icy steps.
East and south-east England face the threat of heavy snow showers tomorrow. Strong north to north-easterly winds may cause drifting and travel problems. The Met Office said snow could affect north and western Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Sunday.
The run-up to the Christmas holiday would remain crisp and seasonal with some hard frosts overnight. But it was still too early to forecast the weather on Christmas Day, with a battle taking place between cold air and milder air trying to push up from the south.
The Highways Agency, responsible for 4,000 miles of motorways and trunk roads, said it was "even better prepared" than last year. Met Office staff have been based at its national traffic control centre near Birmingham for six weeks.
It had 500 vehicles for spreading salt which were convertible into snow ploughs, 94 compounds holding salt and another 50 depots run by subcontractors. Network Rail said teams in the south-east were already taking steps such as checking points\' heaters and anti-freeze. "Ghost trains" might run all night to keep tracks open if the weather deteriorated badly.
Meanwhile, evidence emerged of consumers taking steps to deal with the cold well in advance following last February\'s cold snap. Tesco said it was expecting to sell 10,000 electric blankets in the week before Christmas.
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/17/snow-weather-forecast-uk
