Worst winter weather in Ryedale for 15 years (From Gazette & Herald)

Worst winter weather in Ryedale for 15 years

9:06am Wednesday 6th January 2010

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RYEDALE was hit by some of the worst winter weather for more than 15 years this week.

Schools due to reopen after the Christmas break remained closed and motorists were stranded as Arctic conditions continued to grip the region.

Council chiefs have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on gritting – and further bills are likely later for repairs to roads damaged by frost and salt.

And heavy snow left motorists stranded in a remote area of Ryedale. Several drivers, including a woman who was six months pregnant and a mother with a three-year-old child, called police on Saturday afternoon after they became stuck on Blakey Ridge.

Pcs Andrew Marsden and Steve Leach, from Pickering, along with Tc Tony Call, were called out at about 4pm.

Pc Marsden said: “In 12 years I have never seen snow like it. There was a complete white-out with snow blowing across the road and visibility down to less than 20ft. At one point Pc Leach had to walk ahead of the vehicle to just to see where we were going.”

Pc Marsden added that they had picked up several stranded motorists along the way, taking them to the Lion Inn public house.

Volunteers from Scarborough and Ryedale Mountain Rescue team were called in after a 77-year-old Pickering man was reported missing in the early hours of last Wednesday.

He had failed to return from his afternoon walk the day before.

Concern for his welfare grew as the temperature fell to well below freezing. The man was located just before daybreak, extremely cold but otherwise safe and well, in a field on the outskirts of Pickering.

The Gazette & Herald’s weather forecaster Paul Hignett said the lowest temperature recorded over the recent cold snap was -13.6c in Pickering.

“This is the worst winter weather I have seen for 15 years in terms of the length of time the snow has been lying on the ground and continuous cold temperatures.

“Daytime figures have been just above freezing and the indications are that this will continue for at least the next couple of weeks.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said its gritting fleet had been working round the clock in a bid to keep the main roads clear.

“As we are mindful of both long-term forecasts and current stock levels we are prioritising our available resources and constraining salt use to the key routes.

“This still means, however, that more than half the county’s network – 4,000km of roads – is being treated, utilising around 200 gritters and additional snow ploughs.”

They added that most minor roads, including many estate roads and footpaths outside town centre areas were still affected by ice and snow.

“Some of these have been treated but the extremely low temperatures and continuous freezing conditions mean that action to clear these streets is proving to be ineffective.

“It is important that everyone understands we are managing very difficult ongoing winter conditions with restricted resources.”

The spokesman added that although the county’s salt barns had been filled at the start of winter to about three times the recommended level, accessing additional supplies was proving difficult due to high national demand.

“We must be prudent with our salt use in order to conserve stocks, hence routine salting is being restricted to the priority gritting routes which accords with the practice being directed.”

Beckie Bennett, streetscene manager for Ryedale District Council, said staff had worked throughout the Christmas period providing support to North Yorkshire County Council to ensure that Priority One footways throughout the district were gritted.

“We have also provided support in gritting Priority Two footways and cul-de-sacs in the main towns to try and make access better for Ryedale residents.

“Obviously the severe weather conditions have continued for a relatively long period and could continue for the foreseeable future, therefore we continue to carefully manage our stock levels of salt which at the present time are adequate.”

Mrs Bennett added that due to the prolonged spell of bad weather waste collection services have been affected.

“Our primary aim is to ensure the safety of employees and take no risks with the refuse collection vehicles and our operatives are instructed to take no unnecessary risks if they are unsure of the road conditions in some areas.

“If your waste is not collected, where possible please leave it out ready for collection and, as soon as there is a break in the weather we will do our best to collect all missed collections.

“Any extra bags and boxes will all be collected.”

She said the council would continue to operate the alternate weekly collection pattern alongside the collection of any missed waste.

Useful links

Latest traffic and travel information>>

School closures
Details of school closures in North Yorkshire.

North Yorkshire County Council's gritting information>>

The Met Office Severe Weather Warnings>>
Details of severe weather warnings issued for the Yorkshire and Humberside area, plus advice on what to do during periods of snow and ice.

Share your snow pictures

If you have taken any pictures of the snow that you wish to share, please email them to gazette@gazetteherald.co.uk, alternatively, send your mobile phone pictures to 80360 starting your message with the keyword YOGAZ.

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