200 people rescued from snow

Feb 6 2009

More than 200 people were rescued from trapped cars after blizzard conditions battered the West Country.

In the latest snowstorms to hit the UK, scores of drivers were stranded in parts of Devon overnight after as much as 1ft of snow fell and caused transport chaos.

The rescue operation - which involved police, Army and civilian teams - came as forecasters warned the south of the country faced a fifth consecutive day of major disruption from the weather.

Snow headed south overnight with flurries in London, Hampshire, Berkshire and southern Oxfordshire but the South West looked like the worst hit.

Around 200 vehicles were stranded on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter, with dozens of others stuck on the A386 near Tavistock. Police and Army teams used 4x4s to reach trapped passengers, with other drivers choosing to make their own way through drifts to safety.

More than 200 people were recovering in shelters set up near Exeter and in Okehampton as the emergency services worked to recover cars and clear the roads.

Dangerous driving conditions were reported across the region, including the M5 and M4 in Wiltshire and Berkshire, as well as Bristol.

This week's winter weather has already forced the closure of thousands of schools across the country and left travellers reeling from airport hold-ups and train and bus service delays.

With temperatures dropping as low as minus 8C (17.6F), councils are also perilously close to running out of salt and grit with some forced to ration its use.

Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board, said eight councils had to "prioritise" their remaining salt stocks in order to focus on the most important roads. He added: "If that fails to deal with any issue, then councils will talk to the Highways Agency to look for further supplies."