10am UPDATE
Cheshire has managed to escape the worst of today’s (Tuesday) wintry weather – with the closure of only one school and one road.
Congleton High School is closed and Cheshire Police have closed the A54 which crosses the Cheshire/Derbyshire boundary due to the snow.
The A537 Cat and Fiddle Road was closed earlier today but is now reopened and passable with care.
The five Macclesfield schools which closed early yesterday due to the worsening weather have all re-opened.
7am UPDATE
No significant weather-related problems have so far been reported in Chester and Cheshire overnight as many parts of Britain failed to get the levels of snowfalls that had been predicted.
However, emergency services throughout the county are warning motorists and pedestrians to take extra care as they make their way to work and school as below freezing temperatures have led to icy conditions in many parts of the county.
Gritters have been out during the night but some roads and pavements may still be hazardous after rainfall and slurry turned to ice.
There are no reports of any schools announcing closures in the Chester area so far today.
Temperatures will remain just below freezing at -0.1 this morning rising to 1.3 degrees centigrade at 2pm according to West Cheshire College’s own weather station which gives live readings. There is a wind chill factor of -5.6 but rain is expected around 4pm this afternoon. Easterly winds are expected to rise to 22mph this evening around 7pm.
Further afield in the region, apart from the A66 which is still closed in both directions between Brough in Cumbria and the A1 in County Durham there are no problems at all so far today on the North West strategic road network (i.e. motorways and Highways Agency A roads).
All parts of the NW motorway network including the M6 at Shap in Cumbria and M62 east of Rochdale in Greater Manchester are running well.
The A66 situation will be reviewed throughout the morning.
For the lastest weather forecast CLICK HERE.
10.25pm UPDATE
Queensferry: Hazardous driving conditions due to snow on A550 between A548/A494 and A548 Shotwick Road / Green Lane East / Drome Road (Shotwick Lights). Approach with care.
9pm UPDATE
FIRE chiefs are urging drivers to take extra care on the roads as severe weather warnings remain in place across Cheshire.
heavy snow fall and blizzards are expected to contine for much of the week and drivers are advised to stay off the road if severe weather hits in their area. If this is not possible, the service is urging drivers to ensure that they are prepared for the conditions by following this advice:
1) Plan your journey
• Check the local and national weather forecasts before you travel.
• Listen to local and national radio for travel information.
• Tell someone at your destination what time you expect to arrive.
• Make sure you are equipped with warm clothes, food, boots and a torch.
• In snowy conditions, take a spade.
• Clear your windows and mirrors before you set out and carry a screen scraper and de-icer.
2) If you get into difficulty
• Do not use a mobile phone while driving. Stop somewhere safe or ask a passenger to make the call.
• If you breakdown on a motorway, it is best to use a roadside emergency telephone, because the breakdown/emergency services will be able to locate you easily.
• If you have to use a mobile phone, make sure you know your location from the numbers on the marker posts on the side of the hard shoulder.
• If you have to leave your vehicle to get help, make sure other drivers can see you.
3) Vehicle condition
• In winter it is even more important to check your vehicle is well maintained and serviced. Keep the lights, windows and mirrors clean and free from ice and snow.
• Keep your battery fully charged.
• Add anti-freeze to the radiator and winter additive to the windscreen washer bottles.
• Make sure wipers and lights are in good working order.
• Check that tyres have plenty of tread depth and are maintained at the correct pressure.
4) Adjust your driving to suit the conditions
• Remember that when roads are icy or slushy, it can take ten times longer to stop in icy conditions than on a dry road.
• Drive slowly, allowing extra room to slow down and stop.
• Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin.
• Manoeuvre gently, avoiding harsh braking and acceleration.
• To brake on ice or snow without locking your wheels, get into a low gear earlier than normal, allow your speed to fall and use the brake pedal gently.
• If you start to skid, ease off the accelerator but do not brake suddenly.
• Watch out for fog!
Councillor Tony Hooton, Chair of Cheshire Fire Authority said: “Driving conditions can be extremely treacherous and hazardous in the winter, especially with snow and ice on the roads. I would like to urge all drivers to take extra care and stay safe during these extreme weather conditions and follow this vital advice.”
Martin Dowle, Road Traffic Collision Reduction Manager added: “Our road safety partners are working extremely hard to keep drivers safe by regularly gritting the roads however to limit the risks, it is crucial that drivers are well prepared for their journey, allow extra time and drive to match the conditions of the road.”
5.55pm UPDATE
A CHESTER choir has had to ditch plans for a prestigious gig tomorrow (Tuesday February 3) as bad weather brings London to a standstill.
The Handbridge-based women's choir, A Handbag of Harmonies, was booked to sing at the Proud Gallery in Camden Town at the launch of a new television station.
The fifty singers and musical director Matt Baker were due to travel from Chester to London by coach but the capital's transport system has been severely disrupted by heavy snow.
Commuters faced chaos as London buses were cancelled and a very restricted Tube service was in operation. Both runways at Heathrow Airport were closed as was London City Airport.
Gig organiser Fiona Sutton, of Momentum Events, is trying to rearrange the station launch to accommodate A Handbag of Harmonies, which reached the top 15 choirs in the 2008 BBC talent show Last Choir Standing.
Matt Baker said: "We're obviously very disppointed not to be going to London tomorrow and I hope that the organisers can reschedule the launch to a time that doesn't clash with any of our other gigs."
Schools and Colleges
Latest updates on school and college closures will be added here as we get it.
Travel Disruption
Merseyrail: All Merseyrail services may be delayed by up to 20 minutes.
Arriva Trains Wales: Services are being delaed by up to 20 minutes on all Arriva Trains Wales services.
Virgin Trains: Journeys to/from London Euston may be delayed by up to 30 minutes.To ease congestion, some services may be cancelled
THE Highways Agency is warning drivers around Chester that their journeys may be affected by snow this evening and over night.
It is advising drivers with journeys likely to take in exposed and or higher parts of the network to check conditions before travelling and be prepared to consider bringing forward, delaying or cancelling travel plans.
Heavy snowfalls typically affect the trans-Pennine routes such as the A66 in Cumbria and M62 in Greater Manchester as well as the M6 at Shap in Cumbria.
Snow affected some lanes along the M62 near Rochdale overnight and the M6 at Shap this morning. The A66 in Cumbria was closed in the early hours and remains closed in both directions between Brough and Stainmore Summit.
It will be closed until tomorrow morning. However, the rest of the network is running smoothly at present.
A Highways Agency spokesman said: “We have been working around the clock to keep our motorways and other major routes running but we are advising drivers that with more snow forecast for later this afternoon and onwards they may have to consider reviewing their travel plans and they should certainly be doing a thorough check on weather and road conditions before they set out.”
Highways Agency contractors are continuing to treat roads and clear snow. Extra Highways Agency Traffic Officers have also been drafted in.
The usual advice from the Highways Agency to anyone setting out is to ensure their vehicles are fit for the journey, that they have enough fuel and that they have taken preparations such as carrying food, water, warm clothing and a shovel in case of a breakdown or being stuck in snow or ice.
Drivers are urged to drive to conditions - heed any electronic messages, leave extra room for braking, avoid making sharp or sudden manoeuvres, light up and generally slow down.
-Arriva Trains Wales operations and safety director, Peter Leppard, said that while Arriva Trains Wales services are not currently affected by the bad weather, the situation could change.
Speaking on Monday, he said: “We are expecting more severe weather this evening and tomorrow morning and we would advise travellers to check that their trains are running before embarking on their journey.”
Details will be available from National Rail Enquiries 0845 7 48 49 50 or by visiting www.nationalrail.co.uk.
- All Virgin Trains services to and from London Euston have been affected by the severe weather and are subject to severe delays and alterations.
Customers should only attempt to travel if the journey is absolutely critical, and if customers do travel there is no guarantee that a return service will be available later today, due to further heavy snow being forecast for later today (Monday).
Journeys to and from London Euston may be delayed by up to 30 minutes. To ease congestion, some services may be cancelled.
Virgin Trains ticket restrictions have been lifted. Customers may also use tickets dated for today (Monday) on their services tomorrow (Tuesday, February 3).
- Manchester Airport is operating normally with both runways and all taxiways open and clear of snow. All flights from Terminals 1 and 2 are operating normally. However, with disruption in the South East England, many flights to London are either delayed or cancelled. Passengers travelling to the South East are advised to check with their airline before coming to Manchester Airport.
Please send us your pictures of the snow and we'll add them to our gallery (remember to tell us your name and where the picture was taken)...
