True grit keeps North Staffordshire's roads moving as ice sets in
GRITTING teams were out in force across the region's roads last night as families were braced for a bitter winter freeze.
Forecasters predicted lows of -3C for Staffordshire and Cheshire overnight, with temperatures not expected to rise above 1C today.
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WRAPPED UP: A woman walks along West View, in Rocester. Picture: Wesley Webster
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WINTRY SCENE: Lyndhurst Street, Burslem , where a resident is seen sweeping his drive; and Pictures: Malcolm Hart/Chris Huthwaite
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Penkhull New Road.
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Penkhull New Road, looking towards Stoke.
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A family out with the sledge in Hamil Road, Burslem.
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Clayton Lane, Newcastle.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it was monitoring the forecast around the clock and sent gritters out from 6pm yesterday, after the morning's snowfall caused problems for some motorists.
Staffordshire County Council had its fleet of gritters out overnight, and sent snow ploughs to clear snow from Moorlands roads, while Cheshire East Council said it was also constantly monitoring the forecast.
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Councillor Ruth Rosenau, the city council's cabinet member for regeneration, planning and transportation, said: "The gritting crews are on call around the clock and are always ready to go at a moment's notice. They have treated the 125 miles that make up our main roads as well as frequently used bus routes and those that lead to ambulance, fire and police stations along with hospitals and all of the city's secondary schools."
The county council said areas in Newcastle and the Moorlands were particularly badly affected yesterday, and its fleet was out again last night after rain increased the chance of icy roads.
A spokesman said: "On Monday we gritted around 2,600 km (1,615 miles) of roads, which is around 43 per cent of the network. Around 700 tonnes of grit have been used."
Cheshire East Councillor David Topping, cabinet member in charge of environmental services, said: "We do expect the freezing temperatures to stay with us for the next few days at least."
The rush-hour snow yesterday morning caused delays for many drivers, with roads in Hanley particularly problematic. Electrician Phil Barker, aged 33, said: "It took me an-hour-and-a-half to get from Leek to Hanley. Even though the A53 was clear of snow, traffic was crawling all the way from Endon.
"Some roads were quite bad when I got to Hanley though. Milton Road and Town Road were slippy going uphill."
Staff at Richer Sounds, in Providence Street, Hanley, said the road conditions outside the shop had been hazardous.
Manager Gareth Copeland said: "It was pretty treacherous. We saw cars going into the back of each other, and a hearse struggling to drive up the slope. It was worst between 11am and 12pm, then it got better."
Despite some tricky driving conditions, police said there were few accidents. A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "The only calls we had related to the snow were in relation to cars skidding in the Bucknall New Road area. Other than that it was business as usual."
There were no school closures due to snow in the area, but Birches Head High School was shut for the day due to burst pipes and a boiler breakdown. It was expected to be open again today.
Hundreds of homes in Silverdale went without electricity for more than 18 hours during the first snowfall of the year.
Families suffered a power cut at 6pm on Sunday night as temperatures dropped to below freezing.
Power was eventually restored at 11am yesterday.
Mark Harrison, of Sutton Avenue, Silverdale, said: "We were completely stuck without power. We have a four-week-old child in the house."
Electricity supplier eon is still investigating the cause.
Comments
by snowyboy
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 7:59AM
“Has anyone else noticed the amount of grit is that comes out of these gritters gets less every year. You can hardly tell where they have been. No wonder we have so much chaos on the roads. I could spread more grit using a sifter.”
by Backdoored
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 8:11PM
“Listenign to RAdio Stoke yesterday morning as the snow and sleet came down and the pavements became increasingly treacherous -and the list of inevitable 'cancellations' of weekly Monday morning events grew longer as the morning progressed -I heard no mention of the Monthly Monday meeting of the Potteries Pensioners' Convention being included on the list.
Considering that the average age of those attending is about 70, I thought there might have been an error or that the Convention had omitted to contact Radio Stoke asking the Station to inform its membership that it had been cancelled.... So I rang 01782 208008 to check.... whether they'd 'mislaid the message at the Studio in Haney'?
Radio Stoke confirmed that they'd not been contacted by the Pensioners. So I decided to go -and hopped on a bus -although I'd just missed one of the 'every 10 mins' scheduled and as my luck was out -waited nearly 25 minutes 'tapping dancing' to keep my toes from freezing solid.
Anyway I went; and on getting there -it's held in the Lecture Theatre of the Potteries Museum in Bethesda St Hanley -I was surprised that the Meeting was in full swing and 30 brave souls had madee the hazardous journey from various parts of North Staffordshire to debate their agenda for the day.
Usually the attendance (including those on the platorm) -is around 80/85 people. So I was reminded that 'our old people' -OUR OLD AGE PENSIONERS -are made of sterner stuff than the 'average citizen' of our area.
A bit of snow and freezing pavements wasn't going to put them off -They had business to attend to -no one else is interested in their legitimate concerns -Well not as many as should be -let me put it that way... In the main they have known for a long time that 'they have to fight their own corner' for jutice.... closing care homes and poor arrangements for Careworkers to attend those in neeed at their homes -living alone in their old age.
The vast majority of them having been born before the Second World War and so having lved through the hardships that the war presented, and the 9 years of austerity of post-war rationing that continued 'til 1954 -not forgetting the hardest winter for years -1947 ..a two and a half month freeze-up -No Central Heating, No Gas Fires. many without electricity (only gas-light) -no cars - the vast majority going to work and shopping on the bus -ALL OF THAT WOULD HAVE MDE YESTERDAY'S EXPERIENCE MORE LIKE A PICNIC IN COMPARISON.
I found them all to be in their usual positive spirit. Fighting spirit -undaunted by a few snow flakes.”
by Packmovaliant
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 3:55PM
“Only doing what they get paid for,I do a good job at work tell the sentinel come and put that in the paper.”
by kjhgfd
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 2:04PM
“media hype again”