New Blizzard Lashes U.K.

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30035, 21 January 1963, Page 11

New Blizzard Lashes U.K.

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, January 20. The second crippling blizzard to lash Britain within four weeks raced across England and into Scotland last night, turning roads into “nightmare alleys” and taking degrees off already below-freezing temperatures.

At 5 p.m. yesterday London’s temperature dropped to 23 degrees Fahrenheit This was London’s lowest January temperature for 23 years. And for the first time since 1929, all major lakes in northern England’s Lakes District were frozen over. Snow ploughs throughout England fought a losing battle as dangerously deep snow drifts piled high or many roads. On Dartmoor, Devon, last night 50 mile-an-bour winds piled snow into drifts up to 40ft high. Road-workers Disappear One county council in northern Westmoreland called off its road-clearing operations because of the danger of r. ad-workers disappearing in 7ft snow drifts.

Reporting Britain's weather, the “Sunday Times” said today: “Britain faced last night the worst blizzards, snowfalls, traffic chaos and sheer cold ever known since recoords were first kept in 1940. In some places it was like the Yukon." The Automobile Association described the situation on Tritain’s roads early this morning as “creeping snow paralysis.” And it appealed to motorists to keep off the roads.

Many cars fa southern England were enveloped fa snow drifts last night and on the M.l—Britain's London-to-Birmfagham motorway—up to 50 cars • zere reported stranded fa mounting snow near Luton in Bedfordshire. In ChigweU, Essex—less than 15 miles from the centre of London—cars were sliding out of control on hill roads and even gentle rises. Ptdice were called out to assist the skating cars.

For most places in Britain last night it was the thirtieth consecutive night of belowzero temperatures, the newspaper the "People” reported. The newspaper said this made it Britain's longest "greet freeze" for 70 years. Early this morning reports of chaos caused by the blizzard had only just started to trickle into London—ever communications that had broken down in many parts. At Windermere, Westmorland, 30 firemen and police last night saved a man and his wife who had plunged into the freezing water of Lake Windermere, after the ice gave way beneath them. De-icing crews were early today working on frozen airliners at snow-swept London Airport. Fifty-miie-an-hour winds and snow flurries played havoc with flight schedules. Before midnight British European Airways had cancelled six flights, including one to Paris and one to Dusseldorf, West Germany.