Devon County Council
Devon County Council
11/21/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/21/2024 10:24
Warning over the risk of icy patches
Warning over the risk of icy patches
Posted on 21 November 2024
People across Devon are being advised to take extra care on the county's road network following this morning's snow.
Travelling conditions were difficult across large parts of the county earlier today, and ice could cause further issues tomorrow.
Despite Devon's gritters carrying out multiple treatments on 1,700 miles of the county's main salting routes overnight and into this morning, conditions were challenging in some areas with a mixture of snow, slush and surface water.
However, some parts of county remained snow free, particularly around North Devon, South Hams and Teignbridge.
More than 90 schools were closed this morning due to the severe weather. Information on school closures is available on our webpages.
Although conditions are showing signs of improvement this afternoon, the concern moves to snow and slush freezing overnight which could lead to icy patches.
The Met Office has issued a Yellow Weather Warning for ice from 5pm tonight until 10am tomorrow morning, and there remains a possibility of further wintry showers before heavy rain from Storm Bert is due to arrive over the weekend.
Devon's gritters have been out on main routes throughout this morning and ploughing in areas where there has been the most snowfall. The county's fleet of gritters is due to head out again around 3pm this afternoon as well as the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Around 14 miles of Exeter's busiest cycle routes will also be treated at around 7pm tonight as part of the ongoing trial to support active travel.
Among the areas where there were problems this morning, which have now been cleared, were:
- Stoke Hill and Wrefords Lane in Exeter was impassable earlier due to stuck vehicles;
- The A375 at Putts Cross was blocked due to a traffic collision;
- The B3180 at Daisymount Cross near Ottery St Mary was congested this morning with vehicles struggling to get onto the A30;
- The A382 at Whiddon Down was impassable;
- An HGV was stuck in snow on the A377 Newton St Cyres;
- There were also issues on the A3052 Four Elms Hill, between Newton Poppleford and Sidmouth.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said:
"The mix of snow, sleet and rain has created a number of different challenges across the county. The snow has caused some disruption, but there have also been other issues to contend with such as fallen trees.
"Our teams have been working around the clock and we thank them for their ongoing efforts. They have been continuing to treat our salting network this morning and some of the gritters have also been ploughing routes on higher ground to clear the snow. Our advice remains to drive according to conditions and take extra care."
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The County Council is reminding people of the following advice:
- Never assume a road has been salted. Remember that showers or rain will wash salt off roads leaving them prone to ice, and in extreme cold even salting will not stop ice from forming;
- Allow additional time for your journey;
- Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front;
- Drive with care and according to the conditions;
- If you have vulnerable or elderly neighbours, think about how they could possibly be helped through the cold spell;
- Try to maintain indoor temperatures to at least 18C, particularly if you are not mobile, have long-term illness or are 65 or over. The NHS website has more information on staying healthy during cold weather;
- Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions.
A Yellow Cold Health Alert is currently in force for the south west until 6pm on Saturday (23 November). For more information visit the UKHSA webpages.
More information and advice is available on our winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on X (Twitter) and Facebook.