Ryedale remains in grip of winter (From Gazette & Herald)

Ryedale remains in grip of winter

SNOWFALL at the weekend brought with it an extra day off school for many Ryedale children - with sledging opportunities a-plenty.

On Monday, primary schools in Rosedale Abbey, Leavening, Langton, Slingsby, Sinnington and Luttons were all closed, while pupils at Nawton primary and Ryedale secondary school were sent home at 1pm, and those at Gillamoor went home at 2pm. But all were back in action yesterday.

There were no major accidents on the roads, the only incident being when a white Mercedes van lost control and knocked over the traffic lights at the centre of Rillington at 5am on Sunday morning. Sgt Cliff Edens, community safety officer for Ryedale, said the incident had not caused much upset, and that the lights were fixed yesterday.

He said: "People seem to be taking notice of the warnings and advice. It's common sense - leave a big gap between you and the car in front, be aware of what's behind you and what they are doing, and make sure you give yourself plenty of time for your journey. It's always worth putting an extra thick coat on the back seat of your car, and you may also want to put a shovel in the boot in case you need to dig yourself out or use the salt provided at the side of the roads."

He added that he thought North Yorkshire County Council's highways department had done a very efficient job in Ryedale in making sure the roads were safe and gritted. "I have noticed when coming from other areas how much better gritted the roads are here in Ryedale," he said.

Gazette & Herald weatherman Paul Hignett predicts heavy snowfall today and tomorrow, followed by light showers into next week. "We'll continue to have cold weather for the next fortnight," he said, "and the worst of the snow is expected today and tomorrow. After that there is the possibility of light snow showers into the first week in March."

Updated: 10:50 Wednesday, February 23, 2005