‘First taste of winter’ snow in UK brings school closures and travel disruptions

Large parts of the UK were blanketed with snow as the country got its “first taste of winter”, which brought school closures, train delays, difficult driving conditions and an appeal to check in on vulnerable people.

Met Office yellow severe weather alerts for snow and ice were in place across northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, central and southern Wales, and eastern counties from the Scottish Borders to Norfolk, with forecasters warning of potential hazards through this week.

A yellow weather warning of icy patches on roads, pavements and cycle paths across the Midlands and southern England was later issued by the Met Office, in place until 10am Wednesday. Earlier there had been warnings for northern England and the Midlands, while snow also fell in areas not covered by the alerts, including central London.

The cause is an Arctic maritime air mass, meteorologists said, meaning it will be extremely cold all week.

More than 220 schools were closed across the UK, including about 140 in Wales. The University of Derby also closed its campuses in Chesterfield, Buxton and Leek because of the weather. There were delays and cancellations across the rail network causing disruption for thousands of passengers.

By 1pm on Tuesday, 108 of 196 train services (56%) planned by East Midlands Railway were cancelled or delayed by at least 30 minutes, according to the trains.im punctuality and reliability website. Figures for other operators include LNER (57%), CrossCountry (19%), Transport for Wales (11%) and West Midlands Trains (15%).

South Western Railway was running trains at a reduced speed on all lines on Tuesday because of conditions.

Local authority gritters were out across the UK but a number of roads were deemed impassable and closed on Tuesday morning because of the conditions. In Scotland, two people were taken to hospital in Dundee after a multi-vehicle crash in Ballinluig, Perthshire, at about 8am. An investigation is under way and Police Scotland has asked people to avoid the area if possible.

Darren Clark, the severe weather resilience manager for National Highways, urged drivers to keep their distance and reduce their speed. “Even in conditions that seem normal, and where the snow is not settling, it can be slippery if ice patches have formed, or where fresh grit has not been worked into the carriageway,” he said.

“Drivers should plan their journeys, monitor weather reports and pack a snow kit of blankets, food, water and a shovel.”

The Met Office said 12cm of lying snow was reported at Watnall, Nottinghamshire, while Scotland recorded its coldest early winter temperatures since 1998 with a reading of -11.2C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire.

The Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong said the cold Arctic air over the UK meant “continued winter hazards are likely through much of this week” with new warnings likely.

“The current focus for upcoming snow and ice risk is from later on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, with snow showers likely moving in off windward coasts in the north and east, as well as drifting into parts of Northern Ireland and Wales.”

The Met Office had earlier warned people that the “first taste of winter” was on its way, advising people to get their woolly jumpers ready. The warning came after the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season this week.

The amber warning covers the east and north of England, the Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber, with yellow alerts coming into place for the south-east, south-west and London at 8am on Tuesday, lasting until 6pm on Saturday.

The charity Age UK warned that the conditions could be dangerous for vulnerable people, including elderly people.

The Age UK director, Caroline Abrahams, said the charity was worried that the loss of the winter fuel payment had caused many older people to be “extra fearful” about turning on their heating this winter.

“With high energy bills and food prices it is understandable that some may think they have to cut back on food and turn their heating off, but prolonged exposure to cold temperatures can have a serious impact on an older person’s health, especially if they are already trying to manage existing illnesses,” she said.

Amid the difficulties and warnings there were, of course, snowball fights, sledging and the chance to enjoy the incredible beauty of a snowy day.

Edward Godfrey, a railway engineer from Derbyshire, said with all the schools closed it meant the roads were quiet enough for him to cycle into work. “It was a beautiful ride in,” he said. “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing – although winter tyres definitely help.”