Snow has caused renewed problems on the roads in parts of England and Wales. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
The snow returned to parts of England and Wales today, yet again causing problems on the roads and school closures.
Severe weather
warnings were issued by the Met Office for parts of south-west and
western England and Wales. About 8cm of snow fell on some high ground
and there were flurries as far south as Hampshire and as far east as
Surrey and in the Midlands.
At the same time the Environment Agency warned householders and businesses in the Midlands and the north-east to expect flooding. The risk may grow in coming days as the thaw causes river levels to rise.
Gloucestershire was one of the areas hardest hit by the snow. Schools
in the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean were closed. The county council
said gritters were back out treating all A and B roads on higher ground
but lorries were getting stuck on the steeper hills.
Flood
warnings were in place on the river Severn between Worcester and the
approaches to Gloucester. Temporary flood defences were put in place at
Upton upon Severn. Another five warnings were in place on the rivers
Ouse and Derwent in the north-east of England. The agency says the
warning means that flooding of businesses and homes is expected and
people should take action.
Another 28 flood watches, which raises
awareness of the probability of flooding in low-lying area and roads
were in force in areas across England.
However, there was better
news for a couple who had been stuck in their remote cottage in North
Yorkshire for 37 days. Mo and Ian Morris finally escaped their
snowbound home. They had tried every day to reach a clear road but had
been beaten back by snow. Mountain rescue teams delivered food to them
but they ran out of heating oil.
Mrs Morris said: "Ian tried each
day to reach the moor road without success … I never thought it could
go on this long." Thanks to the efforts of gritters, neighbours and
their own tenacity they were able to finally reach the main road and
replenish supplies.
The snow has also been fun for big cat
hunters. One of them, Coryn Memory, of Thrupp, in Stroud,
Gloucestershire, produced a pawprint of what she believes is the
"Beast of the Five Valleys".
"My neighbour saw the cat and
alerted me," she said. "She saw it running off and we followed its
tracks. The prints measure 9cm front to back and the stride is about
120cm long. Tail marks can also be seen."
Memory said she believed her sighting and the print was further evidence that a beast existed.
The
Met Office forecast heavy rain tomorrow spreading across the UK and
falling as snow for a time across north and north-eastern parts. The
weekend is expected to be mainly fine and dry for many.
Source: Guardian
