SNOW PATROLS BATTLE MOTORWAY GRIDLOCK
Mon 8th February 2010 3.25PM
In Greater Manchester – one of the worst hit areas early in the New Year – the police reassured the public that they would attend all emergencies but conditions were so bad that police officers and PCSOs struggling to reach their normal workplace were advised on the GMP force website to report to supervision at their nearest police station where arrangements could be made for them to work at an alternative location or be transported to their normal workplace. GMP’s Neighbourhood Policing Teams all worked to deal with the extraordinary weather conditions and helping members of the community who may otherwise be stuck. An officer from the Moss Side and Hulme Neighbourhood Policing Team came to the rescue of a local pensioner when he became stranded in his house. PC Steve Mackey dropped in on Joe Gillan on his daily patrol to deliver a bag of essential supplies including bread, soup, coffee and milk.
Greater Manchester Police Assistant Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “It’s heart-warming to see how the people of Greater Manchester are pulling together to help each other during these difficult conditions.” In North Yorkshire, as the snowy conditions took hold from midnight on Friday, 1 January 2010, there were nine road traffic collisions graded as serious and nine minor collisions reported to North Yorkshire Police. There were also 99 collisions in which vehicles were damaged but no one was injured and 78 incidents of highway disruption reported. One incident of note occurred on Saturday 2 January 2010 in the Ryedale area of the county when officers worked for over five hours, in potentially life threatening conditions, to rescue stranded motorists. At approximately 2:20pm, North Yorkshire Police received a number of calls from members of the public who were stuck on Blakey Ridge, between Hutton-Le-Hole and Castleton due to the extremely severe weather conditions. Among the callers was a woman who was six months pregnant and another woman with a three-year-old child. PC Tony Call, of the Eastern Area Roads Policing Group, and PCs Andrew Marsden and Steve Leach, from Pickering, attended the location despite the severe weather causing extremely poor visibility, freezing temperatures and snow drifts of four to five feet. At points it was necessary for PC Leach to walk ahead of the 4x4 vehicle in which he and PC Marsden were travelling to guide the way.
While PCs Marsden and Leach guided several people to safety at the Lion Inn public house on Blakey Ridge, PC Call stayed with a group of six 4x4 vehicles and occupants who had become stranded approximately three quarters of a mile from the public house keeping them in one location. As well as the officers from North Yorkshire Police, staff from the Highways Department of North Yorkshire County Council and local farmers also turned out to assist and get the remaining people to safety. Later that day, Saturday 2 January, one of the stranded motorists contacted the Force Control Room to thank PC Call and PCs Marsden and Leach for their assistance in rescuing him and the way they handled the situation. As the heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures continued to make driving extremely hazardous and the snow spread across the country many minor roads become impassable and some main roads, such as Staxton Hill at Scarborough, causing particular problems for heavy goods vehicles.
Police in Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire – where conditions on some roads were also treacherous – urged motorists not to travel unless necessary. The Highways Agency which is responsible for England’s motorways said its winter fleet of around 500 salt-spreaders and snowploughs had worked flat out treating motorways and major “A” roads extensively. Drivers were advised to take care around spreading vehicles and vehicles clearing snow and only to overtake if they can do so safely, without driving on uncleared snow. West Midlands police issued a weather warning for their region asking drivers to stop and think: “Is your journey really necessary?” West Midlands Police Chief Insp Mark Payne said: “It is so easy to get in a nice warm car and forget that the conditions outside are treacherous. “The weather and under inflated tyres, faulty lights and broken windscreen wipers, is the biggest single cause of needless accidents.” “They are simple enough checks to make but they could save lives,” said Chief Insp Payne. In Scotland Chief Constable Kevin Smith, chair of road policing with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, said: “The weather conditions being experienced across the UK are the worst in 20 years and driving is extremely difficult and dangerous.
Our advice is to consider very carefully if your journey is absolutely necessary. If you must drive then ensure that you and your car are adequately prepared for the journey ahead.” Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, said: “Police up and down the country have been working hard to ensure motorists are safe during the severe cold weather and it’s hard to believe some drivers are still taking risks on the roads. I would urge everyone who has to drive over the next few days to listen to police advice and take the necessary precautions.” In Derbyshire five inches of snow fell at Derbyshire Police force headquarters with more than that further north in Glossop, there were just three minor shunts on the county’s roads on Jnauary 5th. Many roads in around Buxton and Glossop were closed in the morning but all but one re-opened later in the day. Cheshire Police issued a warning to parents after a bus driver was hit in the face by a snowball. Suffolk Constabulary thanked a number of drivers of 4x4s who offered their assistance to police and in a statement said: “While the offers are appreciated we would ask that efforts are concentrated on their local communities by helping those who may be struggling with the adverse weather.”
In Kent the M20 was closed London bound for a time between J8 and J7 due to a jackknifed lorry. And Kent Police worked with partner agencies to deal with the difficulties facing people in the area. The force had access to 168 4x4 vehicles which were used by officers, patrolling the roads to ensure no-one is stranded without help for long periods and also to assist with the continuing policing needs for the county. An Emer- GMP PC Andrew Burgess assisting drivers on the snow-hit Manchester orbital M60 motorway Snow patrol: Greater Manchester PCSO Kristian Burridge and PC Sophie Nolan in the Stretford area gency Snowline was set up and Assistant Chief Constable Gary Beautridge said: “The number of 4x4 enabled vehicles we have in force is more than in most other forces, and is evidence of the levels of commitment we have to our communities. While we have this increased capability it is important for motorists to remember to continue taking care before venturing out in the severe weather.”
Two people on the Isle of Sheppey urgently requiring a medical visit were found to live at addresses which were completely inaccessible to local nurses working in the area. Following quick interaction from a group comprising of representatives from all emergency services, local authorities and other organisations, a four wheel drive vehicle was sent out to both patients and they were given the medication they needed. In one four day period as the bad weather continued Kent Police dealt with nearly 16,000 calls to its Force Communications Centre in Maidstone – a 22% increase on the normal volume. In Lincolnshire police issued a warning to local youngsters about the dangers of walking on frozen water after responding to a call regarding children walking on a frozen lake in the Coningsby area.
The call reported numerous children playing on ice at the frozen lake. One child was reported to have fallen in. A large group of around 20 children were spoken to. One of them, a 12-year old local boy, had wet feet but was otherwise uninjured. “We can”t stress enough the dangers of walking on frozen water, however, thick the ice may be or look,” explained Sergeant Nick Proctor from Horncastle Police Station.
