Worst Blizzard Of Winter Hits Britain

Wanganui Chronicle, 24 February 1947, Page 5

Worst Blizzard Of Winter Hits Britain

Railways Disorganised Received 5.30 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 23 Up to 14 inches of snow has fallen in several parts of Britain by late last night, in the winter’s worst blizzard, which is still raging this morning. Rail transport is disorganised and railway eKiefs have been warned that the struggle to build up coal reserves is imperilled. “We were afraid this might happen, and it has exceeded our worst expectations,’’ said a Ministry of Fuel spokesman. Sir Guy Nott-Bower, discussing the effects of the blizzard. He added that the switch-on for industry on Monday still held, but the Ministry was uncertain how the situation would develop in the next 24 hours. He appealed for stringent voluntary economies beyond the official restrictions by all users of fuel and power over the weekend.

The gas industry has been ordered to reduce consumption of coal by ten per cent, from to-day to May 2. Reuter's says reports reaching the G.P.O. state miles of telephone wire and hundreds of telephone poles have collapsed under the weight of snow and ice m isolated areas, or were blown down. The night’s extremely heavy snowfall badly aggravated road and rail delays in practically all parts of England, including the London area and home counties. Food manufacturers predict a difficult food situation unless they are permitted to resume manufacture immediately. With the crisis particularly affecting points goods and rationed foodstuffs, the Air Ministry states the new freeze-up will continue at least several days. London’s lowest night temperature was 25 degrees Fahrenheit. London recorded no sunshine yesterday, making it the 20th. consecutive sunless day. Trains from Scotland arrived up to three hours late. A train from Newport to Brynmawr struck a snowdrift a mile and a-half long and passengers had to walk half a mile to Brynmawr. A freight train stuck in a drift in central Wales delayed a passenger train behind it slxyiours. Special engines ran throughout Wales to keep the way clear for coal trains. There is intermittent snow, continuous at times in most of east and southeast England, and the Midlands. Drifts four to five feet high occurred in many districts jn Kent and have blocked lanes linking small villages. A foot of snow covered the East Sussex coastal area after a 24-hour’s blizzard which ended at dawn.

Villages in the Yorshire dales are again isolated and fire-engines could not reach a burning hotel at one village had to turn back and the villagers saved the hotel. Drifts blocked recently-opened roads over the Pennines. The blizzard, which is still raging on the moors, is the worst for many years and snowdrifts arc piling up in a ring round London. Roads are blocked in Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Devon Four other counties are affected to a lesser degree. Milkmen in some of London's suburbs were dragging household supplies on sleds. Ninety-eight thousand tons of house coal—nearly a record—were delivez-d to London household? during the week, but there are still queues at merchants. Seas are mtJirating in the Dover Straits. During the night 14 more coal ships got through. All were covered with ice. Another 18 are expected to-day. Icefloes, which have been a menace to the east coast shipping, seem to be receding as the ice break* up.