Mountain rescue scrambled to help stranded drivers in the Peak District, as police blame motorists for M62 disruption

10 March 2023, 11:49 | Updated: 10 March 2023, 17:07

Mountain rescue teams working in the Peak District have been deployed to help stranded drivers after heavy snowfall swept the region, as police blamed motorists for exacerbating ongoing disruption on the M62.

Buxton Mountain Rescue were among a number of teams called out to help drivers stranded in deep snow on Friday, as blizzard conditions heavily impacted road travel overnight.

Some drivers travelling on the M62 were stranded for ten hours, with numerous drivers trapped since 1am on the trans-Pennine motorway.

However, Andrew Page-Dove of National Highways, today defended the Government body's gritting response, with salting continuing throughout the day.

"I don't know what more you could do other than to advise people not to go out unless they absolutely need to," Page-Dove told PA news agency.

Asked if too many drivers ignored warnings, he replied: "I think the volume of the traffic speaks for itself, particularly this morning. The M62 was queued back to Manchester.

"Personally I probably wouldn't have set out on a journey knowing that those conditions were there."

It marks the third day the region has been blighted by snowfall and chaos affecting local roads, as 15 inches of snow, Arctic blizzards and 50mph gales saw major routes including railways and airports brought to a standstill across northern England..

The rescues coincided with the news Greater Manchester Police and the RAC independently blamed motorists for exacerbating disruption on the M62, with some describing the scene as a "car park".

The force highlighted that ploughing and gritting on the M62 was "severely delayed" by drivers choosing to illegally use the hard shoulder and closed lanes.

The RAC added "the situation was made worse" by drivers overtaking other vehicles and getting stranded in fresh snow.

Read more: Arctic blast sweeps Britain shutting schools as snow settles: Is your child's school closed? Check the full list here

Read more: Drivers forced to abandon cars on M62 as snow storms batter Britain bringing power cuts and bitter cold

Buxton Mountain Rescue Team said: "Winter is definitely here. Most of the major roads in to and out of the town are affected by snow, leaving only the A6 open, which is passable with care between Buxton and Dove Holes.

"Minor roads are pretty much snowbound, with 1+ metre high drifts."

It follows the news drivers stuck for over seven hours have been forced to abandon their cars after snow caused travel chaos and huge queues on M62.

With widespread disruption across the country, Grassington Fire Station in North Yorkshire took to Twitter to illustrate disruption, with abandoned cars littering the roadside.

The adverse conditions are expected to last another three days, and there are amber weather warnings in place for northern England, the Midlands and Northern Ireland.

‘Significant disruption’ to transport and power supplies is expected.

On the M62, drivers were forced to dump their vehicles while as much as 15 inches of snow started to fall overnight.

One woman told the BBC she was stuck with friends in a 4X4 after they couldn’t take the M62 because it was closed. She said they were stuck for hours and ‘started nodding off in the car.

Traffic brought to standstill on M62 after heavy snow

"Next thing we knew mountain rescue were knocking on the window with their torches," she said.

As snow hit the UK:

• Multiple A roads around Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire closed, and in the higher grounds of Cumbria.
• Merseyrail cancelled services due to the weather
• Arriva NW told people who use their bus services to check before they travel
• There are also school closures – more than 70 in Lancashire – as well as in Wigan, Oldham, Rochdale and Bury
• Liverpool John Lennon airport is currently holding outbound and inbound flights, due to the bad weather
• North Yorkshire Police say they’ve had reports of stranded vehicles and horrendous driving conditions due to the snow – especially in Harrogate, Sutton Bank and Scarborough
• Snow ploughs are working along a stretch of the M62 motorway this morning with severe delays between junctions 21 and 24.
• Flights are delayed at Leeds Bradford Airport.
• Northern Powergrid have been working to restore power to around 3 thousand homes in South Yorkshire
• More than 200 schools across West and South Yorkshire are closed today.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the worst of the weather is expected in north-west Wales and northern England, where "gusts of easily 50mph" are on a collision course with "30 to 40cm of snow".

Read more: Sunak to use Macron meeting to push for France to 'go further' in stopping migrants crossing English Channel

Mr Burkill said: "The combination of heavy snow and gales is why we're likely to see blizzards and drifting snow which causes extra hazards on the roads.

"In places covered by amber warnings, there will be very difficult, treacherous conditions.”

He urged people to avoid travelling if possible.

National Highways issued a "severe weather alert" for snow covering the North East, North West and Midlands regions until 8am on Friday, where motorists have been warned not to drive unless their journey is essential.

The Met Office amber snow alert for England lasts until noon on Friday and covers major cities including Liverpool, Sheffield, Bradford and Leeds.

Over Wales, an amber snow and ice warning is in place from noon until 9am on Friday, stretching from the north coast to Radnorshire.

Another amber snow and ice warning in Northern Ireland covers Belfast and areas south of the city from 3pm on Thursday until 4am on Friday.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: "Storm Larisa, which Meteo France have named, is the same low pressure system that is bringing us the bands of rain," he said.

"But essentially, we're on the northern side of the low pressure system and it's the southern side of that low pressure system that is going to be bringing particularly strong winds to parts of France.

"So that did originate out in the Atlantic and then it tracked its way eastward towards us, and the weather fronts that are swirling around that low pressure system have then been pushing into the cold air that has been in places across the UK and allowing that rain to start falling as snow across several areas."

Forecasters warned that the heavy snow could cause "significant disruption" to transport links, cutting off some rural communities.

Meanwhile travel delays are expected on some roads, while power cuts are likely. Mobile phone coverage could also be affected.

Snow has fallen across the UK throughout the week, with disruption starting on Tuesday.

Bristol Airport cancelled 27 morning flights on Tuesday and closed its doors for "snow clearing operations". Passengers at some other airports in the south of England have also been left waiting amid delayed departures.

Tuesday night was the coldest night since 2010, the Met Office said, with an Arctic blast causing the deep freeze.

And forecasters said that the ongoing cold weather and strong winds have "the potential to lead to some blizzard conditions" on Thursday.

Read more: Schools shut as snow blasts Britain: Is your child's school closed? Check the full list here

Read more: Farmer spots 'snow devil' tornado tearing through Scottish field as he feeds his sheep, while Brits shiver in freezing cold

Motorists were told to plan ahead on Wednesday as heavy snowfall caused roads in Surrey and Hampshire to shut, with the downpour hitting much of southern England overnight and in the morning.

National Highways also warned drivers in the West Midlands and eastern England not to travel unless they absolutely have to, and issued a "severe" warning for drivers across the south-east and south-west.

The Met Office also warned of possible travel delays to bus and train services, and said some rural communities could become temporarily cut off.

Network Rail has told passengers to check their journeys before they set off because of the weather, but a spokesperson said there has been "no significant weather-related disruption" on the lines so far.

At least 27 flights due to take off from Bristol Airport on Wednesday morning were affected by snow, and several arrivals have been diverted to Birmingham. The airport reopened at 10.45 this morning staff said there was "ongoing flight disruption".

A spokesperson for the airport said "additional staff are on site to assist with the adverse weather response" and passengers have been advised to check with their airline prior to arriving at the airport.

It came as snow fell in London, the west of England and south Wales early on Wednesday, as Kinbrace in the Highlands saw -15.2C temperatures.

Schools closed across the South East and South West of England, as well as Scotland and parts of Wales.

A yellow warning for snow and ice was in place for most of southern England and southern Wales, lasting until 7am on Thursday.

Snow and ice warnings for Wednesday also cover northern Scotland until 10am on Thursday, as well as a third warning for snow and ice covering north-east England and south-east Scotland from 5pm on Wednesday to 7am on Thursday.

In most places the snowfall will continue until Friday, with a yellow warning for snow covering all of the UK north of Birmingham spanning from 7am on Thursday until 2pm on Friday.

Snow falls over Windsor Castle

Read more: Snow to sweep the UK on the coldest day of 2023 so far as temperatures fall to -10C, with London to be hit this week

Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said the minus 15.4C temperature recorded on Tuesday night meant it was the coldest in March since 2010. Temperatures have dropped even further since.

Drone footage of Glastonbury Tor as snow hits parts of the UK

Up to 15cm (just under 6in) of snow was predicted to fall across higher ground in northern England, with "in excess of 25cm (just under 10in)" likely in the Scottish Highlands.

Read more: Emergency coal-fired power stations to be used to avoid blackouts on coldest night of the year

The National Grid implemented emergency plans to avoid blackouts, with two coal powered stations in Lincolnshire feeding into the national grid on Tuesday ahead of what could have been the coldest night of the year.

The Met Office said it could drop to -17C in parts of the UK.

The cold weather is being driven by the same phenomenon linked to the Beast from the East in 2018.

The UK Health Security Agency asked people to check on vulnerable people during the spell.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, the agency's head of extreme events and health protection, said: "During periods like this, it is important to check in on family, friends and relatives who may be more vulnerable to the cold weather, as it can have a serious impact on health.

"If you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over the age of 65, it is important to try and heat your home to at least 18°C if you can."