Prepare for more chaos to get home: Bosses let workers leave early and schools tell parents to pick children up by 2pm ‘so no one is travelling in the dark’ – as Met Office warns of snow turning to ice

• Schools and businesses sensibly let staff travel home before 3pm to avoid dark
• It came after travel chaos last night saw queues and accidents from conditions
• Managers and head teachers had acted to let people out early for safety 

After this morning’s snow-fueled travel chaos, workers and parents turned their attention to the topic of trying to get home this afternoon.

Some kind bosses worried about their staff’s safety permitted them to clock off early to avoid the slush’s inevitable freeze to ice.

And schools also adopted a similar approach, telling parents to pick up their kids by 2pm before it got dark.

Last night roads grounded to a halt under the snowfall after an apparent paucity of gritter drivers meant roads were ripe for the powder laying.

A number of schools and businesses closed early so children and staff got home before dark

Scenes in London this morning showed just how icy it could be overnight again today

Scenes on the M25 and around the country of motorists trapped in their cars also cannot have been missed by managers.

It prompted some to allow their staff to go home early – and schoolchildren were also given an early cut from the learning day.

Woolwich Polytechnic announced: ‘Monday 12th December School will be open for years 7&8 only today, with school closing at 2.20pm.

‘Students in years 9 and 10 should work from home. Work will be set on Teams.’

Footage also shows a group of six people trying to help a black people carrier back onto the road, as a cyclist rides precariously nearby

But their efforts were in vain as the car skids off the street, only just coming to a stop before hitting a fence

Another car is then seen sliding into some bollards, before a bus does the same, though the damage only appeared to be minor

Longdean School in Hemel Hempstead also tweeted out: ‘We want to ensure all students and staff make it home safely.

‘Take care out there.’

Independent music shop David’s Music in Hertfordshire said: ‘Due to the wondrous snow, we’ll be closing at 3:30pm today, before it gets too dark and icy. Keep safe and warm everyone.’

Hundreds of drivers spent several hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice caused havoc on the roads.

Traffic ground to a standstill with motorists moving several hundred yards in hours as cars skidded and struggled in the heavy snow, while stranded passengers slept on airport floors as they waited for the Arctic blast to pass.

More travel disruption was expected on the roads, railways and at airports, as well as school closures, after snow fell across parts of the UK last night, with up to 10cm more forecast today.

Snow and ice weather warnings are in force from the Met Office across northern Scotland, southeast and eastern England.

The RAC’s advice on how to drive in the snow 

Wear comfortable and dry footwear

Accelerate gently, use low revs and change up to a higher gear as quickly as possible

Move off in second gear as this will help reduce wheel slip – some cars have a winter mode, which does the same job – so to check whether your car has this function in the vehicle’s handbook

Get your speed right and maintain safe stopping distances between you and the car in front, leaving as much as 10 times the normal recommended gap

Prepare for an uphill by leaving plenty of room in front so you can maintain a constant speed without the need for changing gear

Use a low gear for going downhill and try to avoid braking unless necessary, make sure you leave plenty of space between you and the car in front

When approaching a bend, brake before you actually start to turn the steering wheel. If your car does lose grip try not to panic; the key thing is to take your foot off the accelerator and make sure that your wheels are pointing in the direction you want to go in

If you do encounter a skid, steer gently into it – for example, if the rear of the car is sliding to the right, steer to the right. Do not take your hands off the steering wheel or stamp your foot on the brakes

When driving in heavy snow, make sure that you use your dipped headlights. Relying on daytime running lights is not enough, because they don’t always put lights on the back of your car.

If visibility drops below a 100m, put your fog lights on. But remember to turn them off when the visibility improves.

If the road has not been gritted, be wary of driving in the wheeltracks or other vehicles as compressed snow is likely to be more icy than fresh snow

Controls such as the brakes, as well as the steering, accelerator and even gear changing should be operated smoothly and slowly

Sunglasses can help to reduce the glare of low winter sun on the snow

Keep your speed down and allow more time to stop and steer

Finally, it’s important to think about the environment that you’re driving in, especially microclimates that might appear on the road. These are areas that perhaps the sun hasn’t got to, which could stay icy when the rest of the road has thawed. Bridges are a good example. They’re normally the first to freeze and the last to thaw. So be aware of that when you’re driving in open spaces.

Source: Read Full Article