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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Ice falls close Severn Crossings | Ice falls close Severn Crossings |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Snow and icy conditions have led to the Severn Crossing bridges on the M48 and M4 being closed to all traffic. | Snow and icy conditions have led to the Severn Crossing bridges on the M48 and M4 being closed to all traffic. |
| The Highways Agency made the decision to close the bridges after lumps of ice fell onto traffic from the overhead gantries making driving dangerous. | The Highways Agency made the decision to close the bridges after lumps of ice fell onto traffic from the overhead gantries making driving dangerous. |
| Police said five car windscreens had been smashed by falling ice from the cables on the Second Severn Crossing. | Police said five car windscreens had been smashed by falling ice from the cables on the Second Severn Crossing. |
| A spokesman said it was "unprecedented" that weather conditions had led to both bridges being closed. | A spokesman said it was "unprecedented" that weather conditions had led to both bridges being closed. |
| "It's very much a safety hazard and of course these gantries span all carriageways on the motorways," said Jim Clune, general manager of Severn River Crossing PLC. | "It's very much a safety hazard and of course these gantries span all carriageways on the motorways," said Jim Clune, general manager of Severn River Crossing PLC. |
| Long queues of traffic have built up as a result of the closures"We have had reports of sheets of ice up to one metre square." | |
| Highways Agency officials and people from the Severn River Crossing company are on the bridges checking the overhead gantries. | Highways Agency officials and people from the Severn River Crossing company are on the bridges checking the overhead gantries. |
| "The last time both bridges were closed was 10 years ago when there was a release of a noxious chemical at Avonmouth," said Mr Clune. | "The last time both bridges were closed was 10 years ago when there was a release of a noxious chemical at Avonmouth," said Mr Clune. |
| "It is our priority to get the bridges back open but we can't say exactly when that will be," he added. | "It is our priority to get the bridges back open but we can't say exactly when that will be," he added. |