Cumbria Police deployed officers to the perilous Lake Disctrict road – where the drivers were rescued and safely escorted away after getting their cars stuck in ice
Drivers were left stranded on a dangerous mountain pass after snow battered the Lake District over the weekend – with cops deployed to rescue six cars that got stuck in ice.
Cumbria Police sent officers to the perilous Wrynose Pass in the Lake District at around 1:05pm on Saturday, where the drivers were rescued and safely escorted down the single track mountain road. An image taken from the scene showed two vehicles that had lost control and veered of the narrow path, with one partially hovering above ground after the ice caused it to tilt on its side.
The mountain pass, which lies between the Duddon Valley and Little Langdale, was not the only area of Wales facing treacherous conditions this weekend. Icy weather caused several other roads in the area to be closed off, including Hardknott Pass, Cold Fell and Birker Fell, Cumberland Council added.
It came as the Met Office issued an amber warning for snow and ice in Cumbria from 9pm until midnight on Sunday. A new yellow rain warning came into force on Sunday morning from Cornwall across to Kent and will last until 9am on Monday.
An amber warning for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain, covers most of Wales and central England until midday on Sunday. Freezing rain, which makes up what are commonly known as ice storms in North America, is a rarity in the UK because the conditions for it are quite specific, according to the Met Office.
Overnight on Saturday, snow blanketed the northeast, northwest and East of England, as well as in parts of Wales, Scotland and even down south in London. Bradford, Leeds Liverpool and Birmingham were among the cities covered in the white stuff, with airports forced to temporarily suspend flights as runways were too slippery.
Bristol and Birmingham airports temporarily closed their runways as both sites were battered by heavy snow, while Manchester Airport said it would be prioritising the safety of passengers and “will resume as soon as possible”.
Met Office meteorologist, Greg Dewhurst, said in an update on this weekend’s weather that there continues to be a risk of heavy rain, snow and ice across many parts of the UK. He said: “Many parts of the UK [are] seeing warnings throughout this weekend. Snow and ice covering large parts of England and Wales, also northern parts of Scotland as well.
“As we head through Saturday and in to Sunday, we start to see significant snowfall across parts of England and Wales – perhaps up to 40cm over the higher ground [and] parts of northern England, the Pennines in particular.” He said it was “worth keeping up to date with the forecast” as the information is likely to change through the weekend.
Cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures, according to he UK Health Security Agency. Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until January 8, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
