This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/lancashire/7760263.stm

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Schools closed after heavy snow Schools closed after heavy snow
(about 2 hours later)
Dozens of schools in east Lancashire have been closed following heavy snowfall overnight. Snow has forced the closure of about 200 schools across north-west England.
More than 40 schools in Rossendale, Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley have confirmed they will remain closed on Tuesday. Many in Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Cumbria have been shut due to the heavy falls. Rossendale, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton and Oldham were affected.
Up to four inches (10.1cm) of snow has been reported across parts of the region, which has led to hazardous driving conditions on some roads. Up to 4in (10cm) of snow has fallen in some areas, which has led to hazardous driving conditions on roads.
Motorists have contacted the BBC about problems on a number of routes. Drivers on the M6, M60, M61 and M62 suffered lengthy delays. Cars were abandoned in north Bury and East Lancashire as roads became gridlocked.
Lancashire County Council confirmed its gritters were out overnight across the county's 2,300km (1,429 miles) of roads, but said the salt could not guarantee ice-free highways. Nearly half of the 110 schools in Oldham were shut.
Salt spread "Being in the hills, we get lots of snow," a spokeswoman said.Drivers on the region's motorways have suffered lengthy delays
East Lancashire bore the brunt of the school closures in the county - with hundreds of pupils off in the Ribble Valley, Pendle and Rossendale.
Lancashire County Council said its gritters were out overnight across the county's 2,300km (1,429 miles) of roads, but said the salt could not guarantee ice-free highways.
"Following yesterday's forecast of overnight snow our planned action was to carry out a precautionary salting in advance of the snow last night followed by a second treatment after the snow had fallen as necessary," a spokesman said."Following yesterday's forecast of overnight snow our planned action was to carry out a precautionary salting in advance of the snow last night followed by a second treatment after the snow had fallen as necessary," a spokesman said.
"Salt only starts to work when traffic starts to use the road. The action of moving traffic spreads the salt around the highway and helps to melt any ice or snow."Salt only starts to work when traffic starts to use the road. The action of moving traffic spreads the salt around the highway and helps to melt any ice or snow.
"Although salting is carried out to make the roads safer, motorists should never consider a salted road to be ice-free," he added."Although salting is carried out to make the roads safer, motorists should never consider a salted road to be ice-free," he added.
The council said gritters could not guarantee ice-free roads More snow
BBC Lancashire's traffic and travel service reported delays and slow moving traffic on a number of major roads on Tuesday morning. Cumbria County Council said its entire fleet of 27 gritters had been out overnight.
Delays on the M6 at Lancaster, the A56 between Accrington and the M66, and A6117 at Darwen were all reported. Two secondary schools William Howard at Brampton and John Ruskin at Coniston were closed.
John Dearden, who runs a school bus service from Darwen, said he was experiencing problems getting the vehicles to schools. Primary schools including Armathwaite, Lazonby, Hayton, Old Hutton near Kendal, Lees Hill near Brampton, Dent near Sedbergh, Shankhill school at Hethersgill and Fir Ends at Kirklinton were shut.
"We're in Darwen at the moment and it has stopped snowing, but underneath the slush there's a coating of ice and we're struggling to get out of the garage in our area." The wintry showers, which started in Scotland and the North of England earlier, will work their way towards the south throughout the day, according to forecasters.
Schools in the north, south and west of the county are not affected and a full list of closures is available on the BBC Lancashire website. More bad weather is expected overnight on Wednesday into Thursday.
There was also snowfall across eastern parts of Greater Manchester, where up to 20 schools have been closed.