Police declare ‘major incident’ after snowfall as Met Office issue yellow warning

Where is Rudolph when you need him?

David Holdsworth, 61, who works as Santa Claus, is stuck in his grotto at Heyes Garden World, Ambleside, after a failed attempt to get home to Cartmel 22 miles away. The A591 remains blocked with multiple closures.

Mr Holdsworth says he and his colleagues usually get picked up from work by a shared van service, but after an hour of trying to get onto the road to travel home, they accepted defeat.

He said: “Santa’s been stranded. It’s chock-a-block. It’s chaos.

“I’m stuck in my grotto, I’m just laid down trying to keep warm. There’s no heating, I’m going to stay here and see if the roads open.”

Mr Holdsworth says his fellow Santa Claus, Keith, is with 12 other colleagues in the centre’s café.

The 61-year-old who supports Liverpool says he is going to pass the time by watching Newcastle Versus Manchester United.

“I might be a grumpy Santa tomorrow,” he added.

Cumbria Police said a multi-agency response was ongoing to “minimise” the challenges that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s road network.

People have been urged to avoid travelling to the county on Sunday unless necessary after it declared a major incident because of heavy snowfall on the county’s roads.

It also mentioned that some highway teams had been “verbally abused” as they attempted to deal with the situation.

In a post on social media, Cumbria Police said: “A yellow weather warning for ice is in place for tomorrow morning which will have a continued impact on Cumbria’s roads.

“We would also urge people not to travel to the county tomorrow unless necessary.”

The warning, which had already been issued for Cumbria and north Lancashire from midnight until 11am on Sunday, states that the refreezing of any melted snow, or freezing of lying snow, will “likely lead to difficult travel conditions across the area”.

The Met Office said wintry showers are likely to continue in places with a further centimetre or two of snow accumulating.

It added that temperatures will slowly recover on Sunday morning, “with a slow thaw of lying snow and melting of ice”.

The Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning of ice into further parts of south-west Scotland and northern England.

Cumbria Police has declared a major incident because of heavy snowfall on the county’s roads and said people should only travel where necessary.

The force said a multi-agency response was ongoing on Saturday evening to “minimise the challenges that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s road network”.

Cumbria Police said the M6 southbound between J38 and J37 was blocked due to jackknifed lorries and that the A595 between Millom and Furness was impassable.

National Highways said it was also dealing with a large number of stranded vehicles on Saturday evening, particularly on the M6 between J38 and J40.

Earlier on Saturday, Cumbria Police said it was aware of multiple reports of vehicles stuck in traffic in the South Lakes area, particularly in the Bowness and Grizedale areas, because of snow.

Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said: “Agencies across Cumbria are working together in response to the impact that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s roads.

“We are working at pace, to help clear roads so those currently affected can get moving.

“I would urge anybody considering travelling in Cumbria tonight, to only do so if necessary. The cold temperatures forecast will make road conditions even more difficult.”

Cumbria Police has said the M6 Southbound between J38 and J37 is currently blocked due to jackknifed lorries. In a post on social media, the force said it was reiterating its message to the public that people in Cumbria should only travel where necessary.

It added that the A595 between Millom and Furness was impassable.

National Highways has said it is dealing with a large number of stranded vehicles, particularly on the M6 between J38 and J40.

Adverse weather conditions caused travel chaos across the UK today as flights were grounded by heavy snow and forecasters warned temperatures could plunge to as low as -12C.

Glasgow airport temporarily suspended all flights this morning, with a Lapland-bound flight to see Father Christmas among those cancelled as a result of the weather.

One passenger claimed children were left in tears over the cancellation, while another accused the airport of causing misery. The airport reopened shortly before 10am – though the first departure, an easyJet flight to London Stansted, originally due out at 6.35am, did not leave until 10.30am. The Lapland flight did not take off at all because it would not have arrived in Finland before dark.

Areas of rain, sleet, and away from immediate coastal areas, snow, are expected to push north and east across the area later this evening and into the early hours of Sunday.

Whilst not everywhere will see accumulating snow, some places will likely see 1-3 cm, with 5-10 cm possible over some hills and mountains of Wales, the Peak District and South Pennines.

Ice will be an additional hazard, says the Met Office.

Cumbria Police is advising motorists to travel only if necessary as heavy snowfall is causing challenging road conditions across the county. A yellow warning for snow and ice is currently in place for most of Cumbria and is set to remain so for the rest of today. The Met Office have also issued an amber weather warning for snow covering large sections of south and west Cumbria , which is in place until midnight. If motorists must travel, the advice is:

• Please plan ahead for any journeys today, 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.
• Please ensure that you have provisions such as water, snacks, blankets, and a charged mobile phone with you.
• Please allow vulnerable road users including cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians more room than usual.