Snow causes traffic chaos on roads and rail network in Cumbria and North Lancashire (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Snow causes traffic chaos on roads and rail network in Cumbria and North Lancashire

11:40am Tuesday 22nd December 2009 in

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COMMUTERS slipped and slid their way to work as the region has been gripped by an arctic blast in what looks set to be a white Christmas for Westmorland.

After a week of consistent snowfall, those struggling to get to work found the roads in a treacherous state.

Drivers are being adviced not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary and many motorists were forced to abandon their vehicles as they became stuck in the snow and ice.

Kate Proctor, 24, of Penrith, described the trouble she had getting home from work in Kendal last night.

“The road conditions were absolutely terrifying on the M6 along Shap summit as we were driving on snow which had compacted on the motorway and there was a blizzard,” she said.

“We had to drive at about 20mph because we couldn't see the road markings and I accidentally drove into the central reservation bit on the Shap slip road.

"I almost crashed and had to swerve as did about three other cars.

"It took me two and a half hours to do a journey that normally takes 45 minutes.

“It was quite honestly the worst night of my driving life and burst into tears when I got in.”

Yesterday, a spokesman from Cumbria County Council said their gritting fleet had been out treating the priority one and two roads - despite this, major roads such as the A65 to Kirkby Lonsdale were unpassable throughout much of the morning to the chagrin of taxi firms.

A spokesman from Gateway Taxis, based at Oxenholme, said: “I think it's digusting that the A65 is totally blocked through snow and ice.

"It's not even been gritted or ploughed, no salt’s gone down.

"There's been cars littered all over the road because they can’t drive any further.”

Most of the region’s high passes - such as the Kirkstone Pass, ‘the Struggle’ from Ambleside and the A6 at Shap - were forced to close.

Many other roads were only just passable with conditions described at treacherous.

In the early hours, a Volkswagen Polo lost control and spun into a fence on Parkside Road in Kendal.

In Burneside the road by the James Cropper paper mill was blocked temporarily by a coach and a wagon that lost control.

Another truck span out of control on the A591 by the Prizet services.

Ben Meller, spokesman for Cumbria Police, said: “We know of jacknifed lorries on the A590, between Brettagh Holt and Hincaster, and on the A591.

"However, there are probably jacknifed lorries all over the place - we just don’t know about them.”

Another truck smashed into the central reservation of the M6 motorway, at Carnforth, last night.

One lane was closed to traffic most of today while work was undertaken to repair the breach.

ROAD UPDATE - 4PM

• A6 (Shap Summit) Shap
  Hazardous driving conditions and just passable due to ice and snow on A6 (Shap Summit) between B6261 (M6 Turn-Off) and A685 Appleby Road (Kendal). The road was closed.
• A592 Kirkstone Pass Troutbeck
  A592 Kirkstone Pass closed, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow from Troutbeck to Patterdale.
• A6 China Street Lancaster
  A6 China Street both ways just passable, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow between Church Street and Middle Street.
• B5289 Honiston Pass
  B5289 Honiston Pass closed, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow between Buttermere and Borrowdale.
• B6260 Tebay
  B6260 both ways just passable, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow between M6 / A685 (Tebay) and Colby Lane (Appleby-In-Westmorland).
• A594 Dovenby
  Hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow on A594 around Dovenby.
• The Struggle
  The Struggle closed due to snow between A592 Kirkstone Pass and Ambleside.
• Corney Fell Road Corney
  Hazardous driving conditions and road closed on Corney Fell Road at Corney. Treacherous conditions around Corney.
• Newlands Valley
  Newlands Valley closed, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow between Stair and Little Town.
• Wrynose Pass
  Wrynose Pass closed, hazardous driving conditions due to ice and snow at Cockley Beck.
• B6277 Alston
  B6277 (Alston to Middleton-in-Teesdale Road) closed due to snow between A689 Front Street (Alston) and Stacks Lane (Middleton-in-Teesdale).
• Westgate Morecambe
  Reports of hazardous driving conditions due to ice on Westgate both ways between Wentworth Crescent and Portland Drive. Outside the Regents caravan park.

RAIL UPDATE - 4PM

Virgin Trains
Delays on Virgin Trains between Preston and Glasgow Central, and between Preston and Edinburgh Waverley due to signalling problem caused by poor weather conditions at Lancaster. Trains are able to run on their normal routes but with delays of up to 30 minutes.

Northern Rail
Replacement bus service running on Northern Rail between Lancaster and Morecambe due to poor weather conditions. Northern Rail are currently unable to advise when a normal service will resume.