Hundreds of motorists rescued in UK as snow causes new disruption

by Sanjay Jha | February 6, 2009 at 01:30 am

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Hundreds of motorists have have been stranded in the snow blizzard on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter, with dozens of others stuck on the A386 near Tavistock in South west of England. Police and Army teams used 4x4s to reach trapped passengers, with other drivers choosing to make their own way through drifts to safety. More than 200 people were recovering in shelters set up near Exeter and in Okehampton as the emergency services worked to recover cars and clear the roads.

The adverse weather has forced closure of thousands of schools across Britain and commuters were stranded. Experts have warned that dip in the temperatures tonight will further deteriorate situation and Britain's roads will become more dangerous.

Rescue services were still trying to reach a small number of people after more than 200 drivers were rescued when they became trapped in blizzard conditions on a road in Devon overnight.

In what the emergency services have described as a "major incident", hundreds of motorists were stuck on the A38 south of Exeter when the road was closed shortly after 9pm yesterday due to "significant heavy snow."

Motorists faced the prospect of spending a freezing evening in their vehicles, or walking through deep snow to safety. Dozens more were stuck on the A386 near Tavistock.

The rescue operation came as forecasters warned that the south of the country faced a fifth consecutive day of major disruption from the weather.

Snow headed south overnight with flurries in London, Hampshire, Berkshire and southern Oxfordshire but the South West looked like the worst hit.

Dangerous driving conditions were reported across the region, including the M5 and M4 in Wiltshire and Berkshire, as well as Bristol.

Devon and Cornwall Police said a small number of drivers still remained in their cars on the A38 and have been provided with blankets and hot drinks.