True grit helping to keep Shropshire moving

Temperatures dropped to -4C (24.8F) overnight, with the county waking up to a hard frost.

Council gritting lorries and snow wardens tackled some of the snow and ice-covered roads, while local residents dug in to help clear driveways and paths.

Telford & Wrekin Council sent out slush ploughs to clear its major roads before gritting overnight.

And Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski said he had written a letter to Shropshire Council's leader Keith Barrow praising the authority's response.

He said: "I want to thank him for the very good gritting that has taken place. We are all too quick to criticise the council when gritting does not take place."

Anna Higgins, from the Safer Roads Partnership, warned drivers to be careful on roads which had not been treated.

Staff were at the Sir John Talbot's School in Whitchurch before 7am today making sure the site was safe to open. They spent yesterday clearing the ice off paths and Malcolm Roddy, head teacher, said they were forced to close the school on safety grounds.

"We came in on Sunday and the site manager was here at 6am yesterday but still we couldn't clear it. Last time it was bad we had two broken ribs and a car accident so it is about safety," he said.

Sir John Talbot was one of 54 schools which closed yesterday across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin. Ten secondary schools were also affected, only remaining open for pupils who had exams, and six were closed for part of the day.

Sarah Longville, headteacher at The Marches School, in Oswestry, said they remained open yesterday with more than 90 per cent of pupils attending.

"Only students living in more remote areas have experienced difficultly with transport and in these cases, work has been arranged for the students to complete at home," she said.

Parents can call Shropshire Council's helpline on (01743) 252980 or Telford & Wrekin's snowline on (01952) 380100 for more information.

School bus services have been hit by the weather, as was public transport across the county. Arriva suspended all services in Telford and Bridgnorth yesterday before restarting some services with revised routes.

Staff at the Royal Shrewsbury and Telford's Princess Royal hospitals reported no significant increase in admissions to A&E, but said the weather had caused problems with discharging patients.

Vicky Morris, chief nurse for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust, said: "We had examples of nurses who stayed on for hours after their shifts should have finished to help out in areas where we might otherwise have had a problem. We even had three members of staff who own 4x4 vehicles and, even though they were not due to be on shift on Friday, volunteered to help by driving colleagues who would otherwise have been stranded to and from the hospital.

Staff at RAF Shawbury sent out their snow ploughs on to the main helicopter operating areas. Squadron Leader Ade Vine said: "Hopefully this work will allow us to fly at some point over the next few days to complete our essential training."

Many areas along the Shropshire/Wales border were badly affected by the weather. The Horseshoe Pass between Llangollen and Llandegla was closed yesterday after snow fell locally for 24 hours on Sunday.

Ironbridge Gorge Museums were shut as well after further snowfall overnight, and staff advised visitors to check www.iron bridge.org.uk for updates before planning a visit. Other sites across the county were open as normal, including Telford & Wrekin Council-run libraries and leisure centres, including the ice rink and ski slope. The mobile library was not in operation and Horsehay Golf Centre was closed.