Cumbria Police tell motorists to take care on icy roads, after attending five car crashes in just two hours

12:28pm Monday 18th February 2013 in News Photograph of the Author By Anna Clarke, Reporter

POLICE are urging motorists to take care on icy roads after being called out to five road traffic accidents in just two hours.

Four of the incidents happened within minutes of each other this morning, at Grasmere, Ambleside, Newby Bridge and Dalton. An incident also took place in Windermere.

Police later said the motorists were lucky to have escaped unhurt.

A spokeswoman for the force in Cumbria said: “Motorists are being urged to take extra care and drive to the conditions after ice has caused dangerous driving conditions in the south Cumbria area.

“Temperatures have dropped which has led to treacherous road conditions and black ice in places.”

She explained that the first incident took place at 6.32am outside the Windermere Hotel, on Kendal Road.

A female driver in a Jeep-style Suzuki car skidded on 150 metres of ice, which had formed on the road following damage to a water pipe several weeks earlier.

Water leaking from the pipe had frozen onto the road, causing the motorist to skid into a wall.

At around 8.22am a car also crashed onto its side on the A592, by Fell Foot Country Park, Newby Bridge.

The 28-year-old driver of the Hyunda i10, who had been heading towards Bowness at the time of the incident, was said to be “shaken”.

The third incident took place on the A591 near Ambleside, at 8.23am, when a Volkswagon Golf hit a tree.

Just a minute later, on the same road, a car also overturned, around a mile from Rydal Water, near Grasmere.

The Suzuki Vitara went onto its roof prompting passers-by to stop and help pull it upright.

The final incident took place at 8.30am on Ireleth Road, Dalton-in-Furness.

The male driver, in a Rover 45, went off the road and into a beck, close to the Black Dog pub.

The spokeswoman continued: “Fortunately, none of these collisions are believed to be serious.

“No serious injuries have been reported.”

But, she added: “Police are urging communities to be prepared, drive to the conditions and look out for vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours.

“Pavements are just as susceptible to freezing as roads, so take care when walking as well as when driving.”

To keep up to date with the latest weather forecasts, visit the Met Office website at www.metoffice.gov.uk.

The Cumbria Highways Hotline can also be reached on 0845 609 6609.

Comments(20)

hill_arious says...
12:47pm Mon 18 Feb 13

I travel on this road daily and over the past few weeks have seen near fatal accidents due to untreated roads on the A591 from Ambleside to Keswick - The council know the road conditions beforehand, so why aren't these roads gritted in time for rush hours!!! - Cumbria County Council - SORT IT OUT PLEASE!

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
1:30pm Mon 18 Feb 13

The A591 just outside the Windermere Hotel is LETHAL in icy weather due to all the water that is continually pouring over the road. There have been numerous incidents here over the past few weeks but will the council actually get off their backsides and do something about it? Oh god forbid they actually have to spend money on something constructive and worthwhile when there's so many other things they can be frittering away hard earned council tax on.
Gritting it is all well and good, but actually fixing the problem would be a good place to start. Before someone gets seriously injured, or worse.

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
1:31pm Mon 18 Feb 13

"A female driver in a Jeep-style Suzuki car skidded on 150 metres of ice, which had formed on the road following damage to a water pipe several weeks earlier."

And if you want to believe that this has only been a problem for "several weeks" then go right ahead. This has been ongoing for a hell of a lot longer than that.

Report this post »

Spotty Fish says...
1:48pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Agree with zaney. This has been a problem for all the 4 years I've been travelling the road daily. Still, at least the heavily used Slack in Ambleside has been resurfaced now!!! But the big hole at the bottom of Compston Road just gets a dollop of Tarmac thrown in it. Where's the logic and common sense?

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
2:17pm Mon 18 Feb 13

"Where's the logic and common sense?"

Surely you jest?! We're talking about councils! I don't think logic & common sense are part of their vocab!

Report this post »

maggieann2luke says...
3:01pm Mon 18 Feb 13

note to the highways dept. - throwing large amounts of salt onto the road outside Windermere Hotel when it's sheet ice will not stop water running down the road or stop big holes appearing in the tarmac. get the issue sorted properly once and for all by finding and fixing the drain/culvert then we can all travel safely. some hope though!

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
3:04pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Just an add on here, that amount of grit/salt that was thrown onto the road this morning is a potential nightmare for bikers and is just as bad to ride on as the ice itself.

Report this post »

Spotty Fish says...
3:09pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Oh I most certainly do jest. If only it was actually funny!!! I'd love to be able to understand the thought processes of the people who decide what needs repairing and what can be left to develop in to an even bigger problem. Again though, thought processes and councils!!!!

Report this post »

hogheaven says...
3:44pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Maybe the council would react if someone filed a lawsuit for neglect and claim damages any takers?

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
4:58pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Well it was bad enough when there was the huge pothole slap bang in the middle of the road, I very nearly put in a claim for new shock absorbers!

Our dear MP is fully aware of the situation, however I'm not holding my breath. But this is one of those situations where I would LOVE to be proved wrong.

Report this post »

onelocal says...
10:28pm Mon 18 Feb 13

zaney5 wrote:
Well it was bad enough when there was the huge pothole slap bang in the middle of the road, I very nearly put in a claim for new shock absorbers!

Our dear MP is fully aware of the situation, however I'm not holding my breath. But this is one of those situations where I would LOVE to be proved wrong.
Come off it, our local MP might run SLDC, but the roads are the responsibility of Cumbria County Council and he has no influence there. Try your local Councilor J Stephenson, who picks up allowances for both SLDC and CCC and might be able to join up the issues.

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
10:49pm Mon 18 Feb 13

Might being the operative word, eh?!

Report this post »

Howist says...
11:55pm Tue 19 Feb 13

Zaney5, why not convert your constant carping (50% of the comments on this thread are yours!) into direct action. Write to your CCC councillor with your complaint and make sure it's followed through. That's not difficult is it?
You seem to be a person with plenty of time on your hands.

Report this post »

spokeydokey says...
7:59am Wed 20 Feb 13

Why has no-one mentioned the suitability of the vehicles in the incidents? I have noticed an increase in the number of cars with winter tyres but it is still only a small proportion of the total. If it was mandatory for ALL cars to have winter tyres on through the cold months we'd see far less accidents. Its mandatory in several other EU countries for good reason. no i dont work for a tyre company but a do run WT's and they are fantastic.

Report this post »

zaney5 says...
8:04am Wed 20 Feb 13

Howist wrote:
Zaney5, why not convert your constant carping (50% of the comments on this thread are yours!) into direct action. Write to your CCC councillor with your complaint and make sure it's followed through. That's not difficult is it?
You seem to be a person with plenty of time on your hands.
And how do you know I already haven't?

Report this post »

life cycle too says...
8:39am Wed 20 Feb 13

zaney5 wrote:
The A591 just outside the Windermere Hotel is LETHAL in icy weather due to all the water that is continually pouring over the road. There have been numerous incidents here over the past few weeks but will the council actually get off their backsides and do something about it? Oh god forbid they actually have to spend money on something constructive and worthwhile when there's so many other things they can be frittering away hard earned council tax on.
Gritting it is all well and good, but actually fixing the problem would be a good place to start. Before someone gets seriously injured, or worse.
Gritting the leak outside the Windermere Hotel is pointless - the water constantly welling up simply washes the salt away, then the water that splashes around the margins as vehicles drive through it freezes into an near invisible layer of polished ice.

Sooner or later, somebody is going to end up crashing through the door of the NatWest Bank if nothing is done.

I see that last night they put up a triangular warning sign with an exclamation mark, on the Kendal side of the leak!

Report this post »

tictoc1 says...
8:55am Wed 20 Feb 13

spokeydokey wrote:
Why has no-one mentioned the suitability of the vehicles in the incidents? I have noticed an increase in the number of cars with winter tyres but it is still only a small proportion of the total. If it was mandatory for ALL cars to have winter tyres on through the cold months we'd see far less accidents. Its mandatory in several other EU countries for good reason. no i dont work for a tyre company but a do run WT's and they are fantastic.
Winter tyres aren't the bee all and end all. As long as you have suitable tread on all weather tyres you'll be ok.

Report this post »

sonorbloke says...
9:49am Thu 21 Feb 13

spokeydokey wrote:
Why has no-one mentioned the suitability of the vehicles in the incidents? I have noticed an increase in the number of cars with winter tyres but it is still only a small proportion of the total. If it was mandatory for ALL cars to have winter tyres on through the cold months we'd see far less accidents. Its mandatory in several other EU countries for good reason. no i dont work for a tyre company but a do run WT's and they are fantastic.
The reduction would be very small as the number of days where winter tyres would actually make any difference is far lower than in Scandinavia and the parts of central Europe where they are mandatory.

Report this post »

Alastair D Cameron says...
8:49am Sat 23 Feb 13

My work takes me to most areas of the country. I have to say that road gritting and snow clearing is better in Cumbria than almost all other counties. The 'bottom of the pile' for these services are, in my opinion, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. Others such as Berkshire and Wiltshire are better but Cumbria, North and East Yorkshire are without doubt, the best. It's a relief to drive home to Coniston on a frosty night and know that the roads WILL have been gritted so that when I leave the M6 at Farleton I will get home safely (obviously driving with care). So keep up the good work, CCC, and DON'T be tempted reduce these services at all as part of a 'cost-cutting' exercise.

Report this post »

lakesailor says...
12:43pm Sat 23 Feb 13

tictoc1 wrote:
spokeydokey wrote:
Why has no-one mentioned the suitability of the vehicles in the incidents? I have noticed an increase in the number of cars with winter tyres but it is still only a small proportion of the total. If it was mandatory for ALL cars to have winter tyres on through the cold months we'd see far less accidents. Its mandatory in several other EU countries for good reason. no i dont work for a tyre company but a do run WT's and they are fantastic.
Winter tyres aren't the bee all and end all. As long as you have suitable tread on all weather tyres you'll be ok.
Sure you're not meaning All Terrain tyres?
Winter tyres give greater grip below 7°C.

"Manufacturers say drivers are better off with winter tyres whenever the temperature dips below 7C. As they are made of a different rubber compound (a high silica content which makes them softer) and tread pattern (more sipes, or small slits, in the tread blocks), they grip the road better"

They often look little different to all season tyres.

Report this post »

click2find

About cookies

We want you to enjoy your visit to our website. That's why we use cookies to enhance your experience. By staying on our website you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more about the cookies we use.

I agree