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Search forBrace yourselves for more heavy snowfalls
Wednesday, December 03, 2008, 09:00
Weather experts say there will be heavy and drifting snow across Staffordshire and Cheshire.
In Cheshire blizzard conditions are expected with up to 20cm of snow falling on higher ground by tomorrow morning.
Strong winds could cause drifts, leading to chaos on the roads.
In Staffordshire snow will become "persistent and heavy" overnight, but by tomorrow afternoon it is expected to turn to rain.
A Met Office spokesman said: "We expect it to be frosty with rural fog patches this evening, before clouding over from the west – the cloud bringing sleet or snow later tonight.
"The snow will generally turn to rain in the morning."
Tonight the temperature will drop to -3C.
Last night the snow meant some fans missed the start of last night's Stoke match against Derby.
A police spokesman said: "The number of fans arriving late was increased due to slow traffic in and around the A50 and Britannia Stadium. The delays were cleared within 10 minutes."
And traders have asked why key routes were not gritted earlier in preparation for severe snow.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council's nine gritters were operating on the roads from 6pm until 10.30pm on Monday, and from 7am yesterday.
But people living and working near Lime Kiln Bank and Penkhull New Road say the roads were almost impassible, and weren't safe until about 9am yesterday.
Stephen Harvey, aged 38, of One-Stop Computers at the junction of London Road and Penkhull New Road, said: "The council should have been out earlier. People and cars were sliding down the bank.
"I saw crews out at about 11am gritting the pavement, but it was too late by then. The forecast was for snow so the council should have been gritting through the night."
Two Stoke-on-Trent City Council managers are on call 24 hours a day to decide whether to order the gritters out.
On a typical call-out, which costs £7,000, they will spread 54 tons of salt on 405 miles of roads. The council said it had teams out gritting in hot-spots throughout yesterday, and the full crew of nine gritters was out again last night until 10.30pm. Crews were on standby after that.
Jo Ball, owner of Leek Road Flowers, near Lime Kiln Bank, said: "I saw cars swerving and there were a lot of near misses on the roads. It seemed to me like Tunstall bypass wasn't gritted at all.
"It was a nightmare from the top of Sandyford. How can an inch of snow cause such problems when countries like Norway and Sweden manage?"
A city council spokesman said: "The entire fleet of gritters were out on Monday night and again at 7am yesterday. Yes, Lime Kiln Bank and Penkhull Bank should have been gritted and were causing some problems for motorists, but they were both completely gritted by 9am.
"The gritters were out as soon as they were able to be."
LET IT SNOW: A shopper in Newcastle shelters from the snow yesterday. Picture: Steve Bould
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