Cumbria is being hit by heavy snow and disruptive ice.
The Met Office issued an amber warning for snow from 9pm Friday, January 4, until 6am today, Monday January 6. It has extended a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for the whole of Cumbria overnight until noon today.
People are urged to only drive if necessary. If motorists must travel this morning the advice is:
- Plan ahead for any journeys, allowing for extra time.
- Take extra care and, where possible, please use main roads which have been treated.
- Drive slowly and with extra care and attention.
- Allow vulnerable road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual.
It is understood non-essential staff at the Sellafield site were sent home today as road conditions deteriorated and have been told if they able to work from home tomorrow, they should do so.
If people cannot work from home, they are asked to attend as normal as the Sellafield site remains fully open for business.
Police advised people to stay away from the fells during the affected time frame to keep themselves and mountain rescue volunteers safe.
Here is the latest situation as we know it on Monday, January 6:
Roads
- The A66 and B6276 remain closed in both directions until further notice. Drivers are urged not to use the B6276 during the closure.
- M6 – One lane closed both ways from J36 A590 Kirkby Lonsdale to J37 A684 Kendal,.due to overturned vehicle.
- The A5086 at Rowrah is blocked due to snow.
- The B5305 is blocked due to snow.
- Cold Fell, Birker Fell, Hardknott Pass, Newlands Pass, Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass have been closed.
Yesterday, Allerdale police said all of its officers were dealing with multiple collisions and weather-related incidents across the area.
Emergency services dealt with a multiple-vehicle collision on the A595 at Bothel – believed to have involved up to 15 vehicles. The road was blocked in both directions.
Reports came in last night the A66 between Penrith and Keswick was impassable due to snow. Traffic was at a standstill. It is now passable with care.
Cumbria Road Watch said there were hazardous driving conditions and very slow traffic on the A69 between Brampton and Haltwhistle due to snow. It is understood the road is still passable with care.
The A595 was also closed yesterday from the Belle Vue roundabout, Papcastle to Boltongate turn-off at Mealsgate.
Gritting
Gritting crews across Cumbria have been out treating the network in continuous 12-hour shifts to ensure the county has 24-hour coverage.
Cumberland Council said gritters continued to work today, treating roads including the A5086 Cockermouth to Egremont route, which has been particularly affected.
Here’s where Cumberland Council were schedule to grit yesterday:
Westmorland & Furness Council’s gritting map for yesterday:
Find out more about how roads in Cumbria are chosen for gritting here.
Buses
Services in West Cumbria are back up and running but passengers are asked to be aware that due to road conditions, there may be delays.
The X4/X5 services have now resumed through Bridgefoot, Brigham, Embleton, Castle Inn, Bassenthwaite, and Threkeld.
They will not be operating at Dubwath, Thornthwaite, Braithwaite, Penruddock, Stainton or Rheged until further notice. It can now operate through Bridgefoot and Brigham.
Due to road conditions our 30 Frizington service will only be operating as far Cleator Moor until further notice.
There will be disruption to Carlisle services today. Due to the closure of the courts, the 62/69/64 services will not be serving the stop at West Walls on route to Denton Holme.
People are urged to check the status of their journey before travelling at http://stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey
Last night, Stagecoach cancelled all services in West Cumbria due to severe conditions.
Other
- Windermere Lake Cruises cancelled all its services yesterday.
- Whitehaven and Barrow’s pre-season friendly, due to take place yesterday, was postponed. It will now be played on Tuesday, January 7, at 7.45pm at Barrow’s Craven Park.
Power cuts
- 10 properties in Alston Moor – postcode CA9 3EY – engineers on their way. Estimated time of restoration 11.26am.
If you are without power and you need support:
- Call direct on 105
- Report a power cut online at www.enwl.co.uk/powercuts
- Join Electricity North West’s Extra Care register for extra support www.enwl.co.uk/extracare
- If you see any overhead lines down or damage to equipment, please stay clear and report it to Electricity North West
Heating or eating?
The Household Support Fund is available to households who are in financial crisis and have substantial energy debts.
The fund grant is funded by the Government and administered by the local authorities. Payments will be made to help households in immediate crisis – for example, those unable to buy food, pay energy bills or buy other essentials.
For people living in the Cumberland area, find out how to apply here
Cold Weather Payments
Homelessness
Freezing temperatures have triggered the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol.
If you see someone sleeping rough, help connect them to emergency accommodation by visiting https://thestreetlink.org.uk
StreetLink is a platform that connects people rough sleeping in England and Wales to support provided by local authorities and charities. This includes anyone who is sleeping outside, preparing to bed down, or sleeping somewhere not designed for habitation, such as a car. To make these connections, the platform relies on alerts submitted by members of the public and people sleeping rough.
Health warning
An amber cold weather health alert has also been issued by the UK Health Security Agency until January 8 at noon.
It has warned the weather is expected to have a significant impact across health and social care services.
It said these could include:
- A rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups
- A likely increase in demand for health services
- Temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks
- Challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people
- Staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays)
- Other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy)
What does the weather warning say?
The Met Office said Further snow over the hills of northern England and North Wales giving 5cm to 10cm in places at first this morning.
Rain also turning increasingly to snow at lower levels. Snow will ease again later in the morning.
Icy stretches are likely to develop quite widely, making for some difficult travelling conditions.
Why should I care about weather warnings?
Weather warnings are issued to let people know what weather is in store for their area and what its impact could be.
The Met Office is the UK’s official weather service and is responsible for issuing weather warnings to the public. There are three main levels of weather warning:
- Yellow – which asks people to be prepared for disruption
- Amber – which asks people to change plans that could be impacted by the weather and take action to protect themselves and their property
- Red – which is issued for weather that poses a danger to life and asks people to immediately take direct action to keep themselves and others safe from impacts of the weather
Yellow and amber warnings represent a range of impact levels and likelihoods of. This means it is important to read each warning to know what level of impact to expect in your local area – and how likely those impacts are to occur.
The Met Office began issuing impact-based warnings in 2011 – which means that warnings are issued when the weather may have an impact on people’s day to day lives.
Previous to this, warnings were issued to the public when certain weather thresholds or levels were reached.
Impact-based warnings take multiple factors into account – these include time of day, if it may impact traffic, time of year, if the weather is unusual, if there are any seasonal events taking place and if the area is well equipped to deal with the weather.
Each warning level is designed to help people take steps to minimise the chances of disruption in their lives.
