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/uk/7877544.stm
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Storm due to bring snow and rain | Storm due to bring snow and rain |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A winter storm is set to bring snow and heavy rain to parts of the UK. | A winter storm is set to bring snow and heavy rain to parts of the UK. |
| It is due to arrive in southern England and Wales on Monday afternoon, spread to the Midlands and continue overnight, forecasters say. | It is due to arrive in southern England and Wales on Monday afternoon, spread to the Midlands and continue overnight, forecasters say. |
| It could bring up to eight inches of snow (20cm) in some areas, and 30 to 40 millimetres of rain in others. | It could bring up to eight inches of snow (20cm) in some areas, and 30 to 40 millimetres of rain in others. |
| Motorists are being urged to drive with extra caution in Northern Ireland where the Road Service predicts snowfalls of up to two inches (five cm). | Motorists are being urged to drive with extra caution in Northern Ireland where the Road Service predicts snowfalls of up to two inches (five cm). |
| Local Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said more supplies of road salt were being imported from abroad. | Local Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said more supplies of road salt were being imported from abroad. |
| BBC weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker said between two and six inches of snow would fall on Sunday afternoon in Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland. | BBC weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker said between two and six inches of snow would fall on Sunday afternoon in Northern Ireland and south-west Scotland. |
| That same level of snow is due to fall on Sunday night over northern England, the Midlands and East Anglia. These are once in 20-year occurrences, so obviously we are not going to keep these stocks all the time, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money Hazel Blears, Local Communities Secretary Motorists warned over heavy snow class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/7877592.stm">Warning over heavy snow forecast class="" href="/1/hi/wales/7877493.stm">Mountain rescues prompt new plea class="" href="/1/hi/uk/7877122.stm">Boy, six, dies following ice fall | |
| But it is the storm expected to arrive on Monday afternoon which may cause serious problems, he added. | But it is the storm expected to arrive on Monday afternoon which may cause serious problems, he added. |
| Parts of Britain, from the south up to the Midlands, will either experience snowfall and high winds or heavy rain. | Parts of Britain, from the south up to the Midlands, will either experience snowfall and high winds or heavy rain. |
| Where the rain falls it will be on areas that already have snowed, meaning it will add to the potential for flooding. | Where the rain falls it will be on areas that already have snowed, meaning it will add to the potential for flooding. |
| Gale force winds will cause drifting where snow is falling and exacerbate already freezing temperatures. | Gale force winds will cause drifting where snow is falling and exacerbate already freezing temperatures. |
| In Northern Ireland, heavy snow caused the runway at City of Derry Airport to close on Sunday until the early afternoon, but it has now re-opened. | In Northern Ireland, heavy snow caused the runway at City of Derry Airport to close on Sunday until the early afternoon, but it has now re-opened. |
| Some councils in England have already been running out of road salt, with the Highways Agency saying supplies were "very limited". | Some councils in England have already been running out of road salt, with the Highways Agency saying supplies were "very limited". |
| A container ship is travelling from Spain with 40,000 tonnes of salt, and another ship is also heading to the UK with salt from Germany. Both are expected to dock on Wednesday.The Stroudwater council gritting depot has taken to using table salt | |
| Ms Blears said gritting operations are still managing to keep roads moving, that councils had been helping each other and that more supplies of road salt were being brought in from abroad. | Ms Blears said gritting operations are still managing to keep roads moving, that councils had been helping each other and that more supplies of road salt were being brought in from abroad. |
| "We are now buying in from abroad. I have just heard that we are getting some salt from Italy, there is a boat from Tunisia on its way. | "We are now buying in from abroad. I have just heard that we are getting some salt from Italy, there is a boat from Tunisia on its way. |
| "These are once in 20-year occurrences, so obviously we are not going to keep these stocks all the time, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money." | "These are once in 20-year occurrences, so obviously we are not going to keep these stocks all the time, it would be a waste of taxpayers' money." |
| But Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA, warned that even the 40,000 tonnes of salt from Spain was not enough. | But Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA, warned that even the 40,000 tonnes of salt from Spain was not enough. |
| "Just one salt run can be 130 tonnes, and you have to think of all the different authorities that are involved," he said. | "Just one salt run can be 130 tonnes, and you have to think of all the different authorities that are involved," he said. |
| Roads in Gloucestershire will be treated with table salt on Sunday night, after low supplies of rock salt forced the local county council to resort to ordering 500 tonnes of normal white salt. | |
| The council's depot in Stroudwater took delivery of 100 tonnes of the salt on Sunday and will receive more in the coming days. | |
| The coarse white salt is a by-product of creating table salt for food, and is now being mixed with two thirds rock salt to be spread on 'A' roads. | |
| Pond fatality | Pond fatality |
| A six-year-old boy died after falling through ice into a fishing pond at Streethouse near Pontefract on Saturday. | A six-year-old boy died after falling through ice into a fishing pond at Streethouse near Pontefract on Saturday. |
| Another boy, aged 12, was pulled from the pond but the six-year-old had to be recovered by fire service divers and he later died in hospital. | Another boy, aged 12, was pulled from the pond but the six-year-old had to be recovered by fire service divers and he later died in hospital. |
| Three children were injured in two separate sledging accidents in Warwickshire on Saturday.This farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales is surrounded by snow | |
| A nine-year-old boy suffered back injuries when his sledge struck a boulder in Edgehill. | A nine-year-old boy suffered back injuries when his sledge struck a boulder in Edgehill. |
| On 3 February, Francesca Anobile, 16, died when the sledge she was on crashed in South Yorkshire. | On 3 February, Francesca Anobile, 16, died when the sledge she was on crashed in South Yorkshire. |
| North Wales Police say the body of the man found on Snowdon on Saturday has been confirmed as that of a 27-year-old man from the Shrewsbury area. | North Wales Police say the body of the man found on Snowdon on Saturday has been confirmed as that of a 27-year-old man from the Shrewsbury area. |
| A police spokesman has urged walkers to stay off the range in the current freezing conditions unless they are experienced walkers with full equipment. | A police spokesman has urged walkers to stay off the range in the current freezing conditions unless they are experienced walkers with full equipment. |