Gritters overturn as snow hits Shropshire again

The snow brought roads to a standstill, delayed major roadworks and caused large scale cancellations to community events across the region on Saturday.

Two gritters overturned as they treated roads in Shropshire. One crashed onto its side near Wentnor, close to the Long Mynd in south Shropshire while the other ended up on its roof after crashing at Little Worthen, between Shrewsbury and Welshpool.

Shropshire Council said an investigation into the crashes would be launched.

The snow and ice is expected to cause continued problems on the nation's transport network. Motorists have been urged by the Highways Agency to be cautious and check conditions before setting out.

The Met Office still has yellow "be aware" weather alerts in place sweeping from south-east England up to southern Scotland, covering Northern Ireland and north-east Wales.

Up to an inch of snow has fallen across the Midlands. Another inch will build up throughout the day, spreading to east Wales and northern England.

Forecasters said between two and four inches of snow had fallen overnight on Friday, with higher ground like the south Shropshire hills particularly badly affected.

In Lancashire, a man was found dead in deep snow after walking home on Friday night in severe weather.

The body of the 27-year-old, who has not been named, was found by a farmer in Brierfield, near Burnley, at about 1.30pm on Saturday.

A landslide and floodwater in Cornwall, thought to have been triggered by torrential rain, smashed through a block of flats partially collapsing the building.

On Friday night, emergency crews and specialist investigators found a woman's body after picking through debris at the Veronica flats in Looe.

The body is believed to be that of Susan Norman, who is in her 60s and police said was unaccounted for, having not been heard from since returning to the flat on Thursday night.

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More than a dozen residents in Sandplace Road were evacuated after most of the building's front-facing wall crumbled away, with debris and mud crashing on to the back of the property from the road behind it.

Electricity North West said about 1,500 properties in Cumbria remained without power but repair work was being held back by road closures, preventing access to some communities.

The Met Office said Shropshire remained on the 'borderline' between its amber and yellow warnings, meaning the public should be aware of the continued risk of 'significant disruption'.

Parts of the region were also on flood alert, with snow and rain expected to cause problems on the Rea Brook/Cound Brook; Upper Teme; River Worfe; the Tern/Perry Catchment and the River Lugg near Leominster.

Graeme Anderson, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: "There is less of a risk of snow from Sunday onwards but it will remain very cold and there will be some hard frosts in Shropshire until at least the middle of the week."

Major road works on the Shropshire and Mid Wales border have been suspended due to snow in the area. The Highways Agency is carrying out resurfacing works on the A483 through Llanymynech and Pant but the agency has had to suspend the work until conditions improve.

And councils were desperately trying to keep the road networks moving with Telford & Wrekin telling its 5,700 followers that its fleet of eight gritters had been out continuously from 2pm on Friday and worked through the night. They said:

"Our gritters are out again now fitted with snowploughs and as soon as we can fill them up again they'll be going straight back out."

The Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen was closed to traffic and midwifery staff at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital were being collected for work in 4x4 vehicles. North Wales Fire Service also moved its 4x4 vehicle to the Shropshire border in case of any incidents.

The heavy snowfall caused a string of weekend events to be cancelled or postponed, with a walk to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the murder of Shropshire woman Hilda Murrell cancelled by organisers.

The pilgrimage through the Maengwynedd Valley, at Llanrhaeadr, near the Shropshire/Mid Wales border, to place stones on her memorial was called off but a planned meeting and lunch to mark the occasion was still going ahead.

Organisers also had to scrap the 22nd Shropshire vintage and classic motorcycle show, due to take place tomorrow at Wistanstow Hall, near Craven Arms, for the first time in its history.

The Telford Park Run in the town park due to take place on Saturday was cancelled and Circus Fantasia cancelled its weekend shows at the Park Hall Showground in Oswestry.

And the weather also wreaked havoc on events in north Shropshire with an Easter trail in West Felton, near Oswestry, axed because of the snowy weather.

An interactive storytelling event at Newtown Library was rearranged for May 4 and Park Hall Countryside Experience, in Oswestry, also had to close.

A spokesperson for the tourist attraction said: "We are so disappointed we can't start our Easter activities."

The appearance of Oswestry's mayor and mayoress along with a life size Peppa Pig character to mark the 10th anniversary of Footsteps nursery at Walford and North Shropshire College, on Shrewsbury Road, had to be called off.

The unprecedented weather comes just 12 months after the warmest March on record last year, with people basking in temperatures in the 20s.