THAW BEGINS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23231, 28 December 1938, Page 9

THAW BEGINS

FEARS IN BRITAIN DANGER OF FLOODS SEVEN FEET OP SNOW COLD ON CONTINENT By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received December 27, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, Dec. 27

For the eighth successive day yesterday Britain was snowbound. The snow was most severe in the south-east, but it fell unceasingly in London all last night. Everything is dislocated, notably sport. Football grounds are mostly unplayable and horse racing has been abandoned. The weather is warming up to-day and tho thaw is general. The temperature in London jumped up to 38 degrees, resulting in the rapid disappearance of tho snow from tho city. Parts of Kent are under seven feet of snow and now there is danger of flooding. The weather has cost the London Passenger Transport Board £105,000. It is estimated that there were 5,000,000 fewer passengers for the week, representing a loss of £50,000, and £55,000 has been spent on snow clearance. At Folkestone a postman delivered his Christmas mail on a sleigh. Franco remains icy, the temperature in Paris being 16 degrees, and in Bheirns only five degrees. The River Loire is almost blocked by ice. GAS AND ELECTRICITY USERS CREATE RECORDS RESULTS OF COLD WEATHER British Wireless LONDON. Dec. 20 The recent cold weather has resulted in a record load on the national electric "grid," and in a record consumption of gas. On Tuesday the total load on generating stations associated with the "grid" system reached 6,7.14,000 kilowatts, an increase of 30 per cent over the Tuesday of the previous week, and the highest figure ever recorded. A single day's consumption of 1,500,000,000 cubic feet of gas throughout Britain is without precedent in the history of the gas industry.