It was the first serious snowfall of the winter, and predictably much of the country was paralysed yesterday.
But, even though gritters will have tackled what is left of the snow overnight, England’s second city will still grind to a halt today – much to the chagrin of parents and workers.
Although little snow is expected today, all schools in Birmingham will be shut, bus services scrapped and bin collections abandoned.
Critics branded the closures ‘ridiculous’ and said authorities were ‘too quick’ to shut schools in bad weather. Some 200,000 children will have an extra day off after the decision by Birmingham City Council – Britain’s largest local authority.
Heavy snow brought traffic to a halt near Rettendon, Essex, on Sunday after parts of Britain were covered in up to 13 inches of snow
A gritter overturned on an icy road and landed on its roof in Tamworth, Staffordshire, at around 8.20am on Sunday morning
Police attended but the driver was uninjured after the crash, at 8.20am. Jonathan Moore, who saw the vehicle overturned on the road, said: ‘God knows how they managed to put it on its roof’
A fallen tree crushes a campervan on the A40 near Sennybridge, Wales, where the coldest temperature of the year was recorded on Sunday at -11C
Snow was falling in north London after Britain was hit by what forecasters described as a ‘snow bomb’ on Sunday morning
Heavy traffic on the M25 near junction 25, as snowfall across parts of the UK, caused widespread disruption and tailbacks on the motorway
Thousands of travellers were stranded at Euston Station in London on Sunday afternoon following delays and cancellations caused by weather conditions
A cross country skier seemed to be enjoying the weather on Hope Woodlands Moor in the Peak District National Park on Sunday
Unexpected heavy snow showers have caused an 11-car pileup near Billingham, Co Durham, as cold weather sparks major travel disruption across the UK
The accident took place at about 8pm between the Wolviston and Billingham turn off on the A19 southbound in County Durham
Bin collections in the city were cancelled because it was ‘not safe for people to take their rubbish out’.
Other schools across the country are also closed today as yesterday saw the effect of a so-called ‘snowbomb’, in which moist air from the Atlantic comes up against a rapidly increasing whirlpool of violently strong winds and storms from the Arctic.
The West Midlands was one of the worst affected areas, with around eight inches of snow – although much of it in the city centre had turned to slush last night.
The weather also exposed the fragility of Britain’s transport network. Roads were closed, bus and train services cancelled and airports temporarily shut down.
Thousands of homes were left without power, and events across the country were cancelled – including, ironically, the ice rink installed at the Quays in Gloucester.
Shopping outlet Bicester Village, Oxfordshire, was left without electricity, and was forced to close early at midday, while a Christmas market in Lincolnshire was also shut, to the frustration of shoppers.
The travel chaos is expected to continue today, with forecasters warning of treacherous conditions on the roads as freezing overnight temperatures turn the snow into deadly black ice.
The RAC said so-called ‘Black Monday’ is set to be one of its busiest days for ten years, with an estimated 11,000 call-outs.
Temperatures were expected to plunge as low as -12C (10F) overnight, as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for ice covering central and southern England and northern Scotland.
Birmingham City Council said its schools were closed due to the ‘recent adverse weather and forecast for freezing conditions’.
Colin Diamond, Birmingham’s children’s director, said even if pupils could walk to school, the council could not guarantee there would be enough staff there to look after them.
Schools were also set to shut in Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Worcestershire, even though little snow was expected to fall today.
In Gloucestershire, more than 60 schools will be closed, as well as more than 50 in Worcestershire, and 75 in Powys.
Other closures were announced in Shropshire, Essex, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Buckinghamshire.
Even schools in London were planning to shut their doors today. Drapers Academy, which runs a number of schools in Romford, east London, said it was closing because staff did not think they would be able to get in.
But while some parents welcomed a ‘snow day’, others were incredulous.
Michelle Skeels wrote on Facebook: ‘How ridiculous… it will be melted by tomorrow.’ Margaret Morrissey, of campaign group Parents Outloud, said: ‘I think the schools are too quick to close, it is the easy option.
‘I think the decision to close all of the schools in a city as big as Birmingham is quite frankly ridiculous.’
The heaviest snowfall yesterday was in Sennybridge, in the Brecon Beacons, where over a foot of snow was recorded, making roads impassable.
In England nearly seven inches was recorded in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
Motorists endured gridlock as they battled the treacherous conditions. Many motorways were closed temporarily, and there were severe delays on the M25, with ‘multiple incidents’ of vehicles crashing into others.
Meanwhile Highways England claimed the snow chaos on the M40, where hundreds of cars were stranded, was caused by a lack of vehicles on the road.
The agency said it had deployed eight gritters to the motorway in Warwickshire but that the rock salt was not spread adequately by drivers.
A spokesman said: ‘There was a lot of snow, and the action of the salt relies on traffic, and it was a Sunday and the emergency services were telling people not drive, so there were not enough cars for it to be effective.’
It was described as looking ‘like a war-zone’ after a series of crashes on Sunday.
A man wearing a bobble hat was seen walking with a green children’s sledge near Hampstead Heath on Sunday afternoon
The Twickenham Stoop in the snow during the European Rugby Champions Cup match between Harlequins and Ulster Rugby
A man walks past a member of the Household Cavalry on guard at Horse Guard’s Parade as snow falls briefly in London on Sunday
Gritters with snow ploughs were out on the A414 road in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, yesterday in a bid to clear the highways
Highways England has advised road users intending to travel through the West Midlands and the north-west of England to check the forecast and road conditions over the next few days before they travel
Icy conditions on a road in the Peak District meant that motorists around the country were forced to abandon their cars until the snow cleared
Snowfall is expected to ease throughout the evening, but the cold temperatures and patches of sleet are set to make Monday morning a treacherous commute for many, with RAC dubbing it ‘Black Monday’
A motorist is given a helping hand from an Arriva employee after their car got stuck in icy conditions in Wood Green, London
A jackknifed lorry has led to massive delays and long queues on the A50 near Ottoxeter on Sunday, with police in attendance
Furious drivers took to social media, accusing local councils and Highways England of failing to grit many roads.
Rail passengers also endured major disruption, with most operators announcing delays and cancellations, while travellers in areas with the heaviest snowfall were advised not to go out at all.
Yesterday evening, Network Rail announced no CrossCountry trains would run between Birmingham and Bristol in both directions because of a landslide caused by the extreme weather.
Buses were also affected, as National Express West Midlands announced yesterday evening that all its bus and coach services across Birmingham and the West Midlands had been ‘suspended until further notice’.
Meanwhile, flights were temporarily suspended at Luton and Birmingham airports and there were delays at Heathrow and Stansted.
Passengers complained of being trapped on a British Airways plane at Heathrow for more than four hours while receiving little information from the airline.
Another four BA flights bound for the airport were diverted 300 miles away to Newcastle. People also suffered at home, as up to 24,000 homes in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire had their electricity cut off after snow and wind blew branches into the overhead network. Thousands more homes across the South West of England, West Midlands and Wales were affected by power cuts.
In the West Midlands, the Heart of England Trust said it was inundated with offers of help after it put out an appeal on Twitter for drivers of 4×4 vehicles to ferry nurses to hospitals.
Forecasters said high pressure will move across the UK tomorrow, bringing widespread fine and dry but still cold conditions.
However, the Met Office said it was also keeping an eye on ‘Storm Ana’, which could bring wet and windy weather to parts of southern England – not to mention the potential for more snow.
- A Dover-bound ferry with more than 300 people aboard ran aground at Calais yesterday afternoon as high winds battered the port. Passengers were stranded for two hours before the vessel was refloated. None was injured.