Go snow - white-out delivers day off for pupils and bin collections
Heavy overnight snow fell over West Norfolk www.lynnnews.co.uk/buyaphoto Tuesday Market Place
WEST Norfolk had its first taste of winter over the weekend as several inches of snow fell on the area.
The snow, combined with strong winds that caused drifting, gave thousands of school children an extra day off yesterday as dozens of schools closed because of the conditions.
One headteacher reported drifts of up to three feet deep in places at his school.
Meanwhile, public transport operators said the snow had had a much greater impact on their services than in recent years as they battled the elements.
As the Lynn News went to press yesterday, around 25 schools across West Norfolk were known to have closed for the day because of the weather.
Among them were several of the area’s secondary schools, including the King Edward VII School, where work to clear the snow began on Sunday, but could not be completed in time for the school to open yesterday.
Headteacher Mike Douglass said: “We have had a team of helpers in this morning, who have spent around six hours clearing the site.
“In places, it was about three feet deep, in front of the classroom blocks so you couldn’t get in.
“Getting around the site was incredibly dangerous. Cars would have struggled to get in. We had a number of deliveries and they struggled to get in.”
However, Mr Douglass said the school would be open as normal today.
Springwood High and the Lynn Academy were also closed to pupils yesterday because of safety concerns, while a lack of heating and hot water caused by a broken down boiler caused the St Clement’s High at Terrington St Clement to shut.
Safety concerns, relating to conditions on site and the problems faced by pupils and staff trying to make their way to lessons, also forced many primary schools to close.
One of the affected schools, Brancaster Primary, said only those who lived nearest to the school would have been able to get there safely.
Following several days of warnings from forecasters over the likely extent of the weather, the snow finally reached West Norfolk on Saturday evening.
The conditions made travelling around the area difficult on Sunday, wih a snowplough sliding into a ditch at Terrington St Clement, though police said they had not received reports of any accidents in the area over the weekend.
However, the Norfolk Green bus company was forced to suspend all its services outside Lynn for a time.
Managing director Ben Colson said the weather had caused the company more problems than in recent years as they fought to keep their buses running.
He said yesterday: “The blessing was that yesterday was Sunday. Had it been 24 hours later, I think the whole local economy would have ground to a halt.”
However, services did resume on most routes later on Sunday, though routes includig the 505 between Lynn and Spalding remained subject to disruption.
Most services were operating normally by yesterday, though some runs were still being disrupted.
The company also handled dozens of calls from passengers on special helplines set up to keep the public informed of the situation.
Mr Colson, who was among the staff taking calls, said the move had been planned because of the early warnings given by forecasters.
MEANWHILE, WEST NORFOLK COUNCIL HAS RELEASED INFORMATION ABOUT BIN COLLECTIONS.
A spokesman said: “Owing to yesterday’s snow, our crews were unable to reach some properties to collect their rubbish and recycling.
“Crews will be returning to these properties today (Tuesday) to complete the rounds, weather permitting.
“Brown bin collections were suspended yesterday. Brown bins that were due to be collected yesterday will now be collected on Saturday, February 11.”
The spokesman added that if crews were unable to return today as hoped they would attempt to return tomorrow (Wednesday).
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Weather for King's Lynn
Monday 28 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 9 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
