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/7223697.stm
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Problems persist after heavy snow | Problems persist after heavy snow |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Thousands of homes remain without power and some key roads are still blocked after a day of high winds and heavy snowfall across much of the UK. | Thousands of homes remain without power and some key roads are still blocked after a day of high winds and heavy snowfall across much of the UK. |
| Some 3,000, mostly in Yorkshire, lacked power overnight and 130 vehicles got stuck in snow on the A66 in Co Durham. | |
| A fresh bid is being made to airlift a cargo ship captain, badly hurt during a gale off the Isles of Scilly, after efforts were abandoned overnight. | |
| Plummeting temperatures led to warnings of icy roads on Saturday. | |
| CE Electrics, which controls the network in North Yorkshire, where most of the power losses occurred, said snow, rain and wind had hampered engineers' efforts to restore supplies. | |
| The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for all of the UK apart from south-east England. | |
| Rescue bid | |
| On Friday night RAF helicopters spent nearly an hour fighting gale-force winds over the Horncliff cargo vessel, in an attempt to rescue its skipper, after he suffered spinal and internal injuries in a storm off the Isles of Scilly. | On Friday night RAF helicopters spent nearly an hour fighting gale-force winds over the Horncliff cargo vessel, in an attempt to rescue its skipper, after he suffered spinal and internal injuries in a storm off the Isles of Scilly. |
| But with the vessel moving around so much in the high seas, crews decided it was safer for the captain to remain where he was overnight. | But with the vessel moving around so much in the high seas, crews decided it was safer for the captain to remain where he was overnight. |
| class="" href="/1/hi/england/cornwall/7223565.stm">UK weather in pictures class="" href="/1/hi/england/cornwall/7223565.stm">Captain rescue restarts class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7223526.stm">Fears over 'trawler rats' | |
| Helicopter captain Flt Lt Jonathan Singh said the conditions had been "horrendous". | |
| He said: "It's obviously pitch black out there, it's extremely dark with no sort of cultural lighting at that distance from land. | He said: "It's obviously pitch black out there, it's extremely dark with no sort of cultural lighting at that distance from land. |
| "The sea swell was probably between 35 and 40 feet and because the vessel had suffered some power failure, it was unable to manoeuvre particularly well, which meant that it was stuck riding the swell. | "The sea swell was probably between 35 and 40 feet and because the vessel had suffered some power failure, it was unable to manoeuvre particularly well, which meant that it was stuck riding the swell. |
| "Not only was it pitching up and down 35 to 40 feet, but it was also rolling by about 20-25 degrees which made, you can appreciate, hovering over it extremely difficult." | "Not only was it pitching up and down 35 to 40 feet, but it was also rolling by about 20-25 degrees which made, you can appreciate, hovering over it extremely difficult." |
| The vessel has switched destination from Cork to Falmouth, where it is expected to arrive between 1000 GMT and 1400 GMT on Saturday. | The vessel has switched destination from Cork to Falmouth, where it is expected to arrive between 1000 GMT and 1400 GMT on Saturday. |
| If Saturday's second airlift attempt is unsuccessful, the captain will be transferred to hospital on arrival at Falmouth. | If Saturday's second airlift attempt is unsuccessful, the captain will be transferred to hospital on arrival at Falmouth. |
| Snow continues | |
| Temperatures as low as -10C (14F) had been forecast for the Scottish Highlands overnight. | |
| People in parts of Scotland woke to more snow on Saturday. | |
| More wintry showers are predicted for north-west England and western Scotland during the day, but on the whole weather conditions are expected to ease. | |
| Arthur Ashburner, from the Highways Agency Control Centre, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme "most of the country will be affected by icy roads" and warned drivers not to travel unless absolutely necessary. | |
| For those who did embark on a journey, he said it was "essential to some severe weather kit" in the car - such as warm clothing, hats and boots - and to check that they have enough fuel. | |
| Motorists rescued | |
| On Friday, blizzards affected much of Scotland and northern England, with snow recorded as deep as 15cm (5.9in) in some parts. | |
| High winds of up to 80mph brought chaos to the roads, knocked down trees and left some 6,000 homes without electricity. | |
| Unexpectedly heavy snowfall led to about 200 people being stranded on the A66 on Friday, including a coach party of 40 pensioners and a group of 15 children. | |
| The A66 is still closed between Scotch Corner and Brough. |