Panic buyers strip shelves across the country as Met Office warns almost whole of UK will see snow and Wales will be hit by blizzards
- Supermarkets in Wales stripped of bread and milk as customers panic
- Graham Clark, 73, was found by a passer-by in a narrow country lane with serious head injuries
- A teacher fell through ice into a canal in Huddersfield and had to be rescued by bystanders
- Drivers in Northamptonshire have been throwing rocks at gritting trucks and overtaking them on slippery roads
- Four accidents in Dover today and two serious fires this week caused by householders trying to stay warm
- Heaviest snowfall of the winter is expected tomorrow night and into Friday
- Temperatures plunged to -9C overnight and sub-zero conditions forecast to continue
By EMMA REYNOLDS, ANNA EDWARDS and ANDREW LEVY
Shops were stripped of essential items yesterday as panic buyers stocked up in advance of a predicted 40 hours of snowfall.
Shelves were left bare as families snapped up bread, milk and other basics following forecasts of blizzards dumping up to a foot of snow.
The scramble began as fears spread about being snowed-in by the whiteout, which could cripple road and rail networks for days.
Shoppers stripped the shelves in the Tesco store in Abedare in South Wales. Customers have been stocking up on both milk and bread as the weather forecast predicts heavy snow and wintery conditions overnight and tomorrow
Bare cupboards: Customers aghast at the serious weather warning rushed to the supermarket to stock up on milk and bread
Supermarkets, believed to be in Aberdare and the Peak District, appeared to have their shelves stripped of supplies as residents feared the predicted heavy snow
In pictures believed to be taken today, shoppers stocked up on food as they fretted about the blizzards predicted to fall tomorrow
There were frantic scenes at a Tesco store in Aberdare, South Wales, where hundreds of people turned up after the Met Office issued a rare red warning for the area, meaning travel should be attempted only if absolutely necessary.
Rhiannon Griffiths, 38, said: ‘It was a real scrum. People were grabbing loaves and milk and dashing to the tills. I managed to get two small loaves and some pitta breads – but that was all that was left.’
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A member of staff at another supermarket in Newbury, Berkshire, described scenes that were ‘busier than just before Christmas’. ‘It’s almost a sort of mass hysteria,’ she said. ‘People are rushing in and blindly grabbing what they can see, frightened there will be nothing left.
‘The shelves are emptying as fast as we can fill them – they’re after bread, milk, dairy produce, fruit, vegetables and lots of people seem to be stocking up on the tinned stuff, like soup.’
Warning: Supermarkets had to display a stern warning that customers could only purchase two loaves of bread to stop people from filling their baskets
Amber warnings – recommending caution and careful planning before venturing out – are in place for the Midlands, North West, South West, Yorkshire and Humber where up to ten inches (25cm) of snow could fall.
Snow was expected to begin to fall at around 3am in Wales, moving across the country to reach London by around 9am. Snow showers and sleet will continue until around 6pm on Saturday.
Most of the country can expect at least four inches (10cm) of snow. Only Cornwall and parts of Devon look likely to avoid it – but they will shiver under rain and sleet instead.
Those who do brave the outdoors today face daytime temperatures of 1C (34F), but it will feel as cold as -7C (19F) because of 30mph winds. Temperatures will drop to -5C (23F) tonight. Lighter snowfall is expected in most areas over the rest of the weekend but freezing temperatures mean much of what settles today could fail to clear.
The Met Office has, of course, got its predictions wrong before. Just last week, warnings of up to a foot of snow in a three-day period failed to materialise.
Preparations were being made last night for the gridlock expected to hit the transport network. Rail firms were bracing themselves for disruption. Some planned to run ‘ghost trains’ through the night to keep tracks clear ahead of today’s predicted commuter chaos.
Trucks were out last night spreading some of the record stockpile of grit councils have amassed ready for a big freeze. Steve Crosthwaite, head of the agency’s National Traffic Operations Centre, urged drivers to allow more time for travel. Breakdown services were expecting patrols to be stretched to the limit, with at least 30,000 calls from stranded motorists anticipated.
Airports warned passengers to contact their carrier before leaving home to check whether flights had been delayed or cancelled. Heathrow said 130 snow clearing vehicles and 500 workers were at the ready to ensure runways are clear.
Schools and nurseries are expected to shut their gates, adding to the disruption for families. Forecaster Sean Penston, of MeteoGroup, warned venturing outside would be ‘treacherous’. ‘There will be a lot of disruption to travel. Roads will be gritted but this will be covered by further snowfall,’ he said.
The cold weather has already claimed the life of a pensioner this week as he cleared his driveway of snow. Graham Clark, 73, is thought to have suffered serious head injuries after slipping on ice in Buxhall, near Stowmarket, Suffolk.
Ice dream: A charming view of Great Casterton Church in Rutland after temperatures plummeted overnight around the UK
Snowballs: Golfers head out for an early morning round at a frozen Cray Valley Golf Club in Orpington, Kent
Blizzard Britain: A snow map shows how many centimetres will blanket every area of the UK tomorrow, with freezing winds and sub-zero temperatures making families across the country shiver
Code red: The Met Office has issued its most serious warning for snow tomorrow, concentrated in Wales and the West Midlands
David Rogers, of the Local Government Association, warned elderly people were particularly at risk from the cold.
He said: ‘Highways staff and street-cleaners are being drafted in to help deliver hot meals, collect prescriptions and help carry out basic maintenance.
‘But council staff can’t be everywhere. We need residents to work with us, be our eyes and ears and help us get the support to where it’s most needed.’
Shops in the South Wales valleys said there had been a sudden rush on bread, milk and other essentials.
BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway said: ‘We can expect blizzards on the mountains and on higher ground.
‘This could be the worst snow to hit Wales in some years with severe disruption likely.
‘A red warning from the Met office is rare and means take action.’
A photo taken yesterday, believed to be from a store in north Worcestershire, showed that one supermarket had to tape a notice to its empty shelves warning customers they were limited to how many loaves they could buy.
Three mountain roads in the Valleys were shut to traffic in preparation for severe driving conditions.
A spokeswoman for Rhondda Cynnon Taff council said: ‘This snow is expected to be particularly severe between 3am and 9am and is likely to lead to widespread accumulations of four inches with six to eight inches over higher ground.’
Widespread disruption to travel and other services is likely, with drivers and transport users advised to avoid dangerous areas and have back-up plans.
There were four accidents on the roads in Dover yesterday morning and many more across the country, while firefighters have attended two serious fires this week caused by people trying to stay warm.
Two people were stranded when their van edged into a flood-swollen ford in Bucklebury and a schoolboy is recovering after he was buried up to his chest in a huge mound of freezing mud at Tilgate Forest Golf Centre in Sussex.
Lucky escape: A car slides off the A482 in icy conditions near Pumsaint, Carmarthenshire, narrowly avoiding crashing down a steep embankment
At the ready: Snow ploughs and gritters are parked at Terminal 1 Manchester Airport in preparation for the expected snow storms forecast tomorrow
Keeping Britain moving: A gritter and snow plough tends to the A4067 between Brecon and Swansea
Missiles: Impatient motorists have been throwing rocks at gritting lorries in Northamptonshire because they are going too slow
The heaviest snowfall of the winter will spread east after morning rush-hour tomorrow, while Cornwall, far West Wales and Northern Ireland are likely to face driving rain instead.
London is expected to endure around 12 hours of continuous snow from around 10am this morning – but the Met Office has advised that it will be heaviest in the first few hours, before fading to some gentle flurries.
Met Office spokesman Charlie Powell said: ‘The west of London is likely to see between three and six centimeters of snow, while the east will see between two to five centimeters of snow settling in.
‘There will be about twelve hours of continuous snow, but by Saturday morning that will have weakened and there should be only the odd flurry of snow.’
MeteoGroup weather forecasters released a map showing tomorrow’s snowfall depths across the country, warning that it will feel even colder than it is because of driving winds tearing across the UK.
Hay there! Fierce gusts of wind whip the snow around these horses on the Brecon Beacons as they try to grab some food
Powdery: The magnificent creatures stand firm despite the sub-zero temperatures and snowy showers in the Welsh beauty spot
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