Summary

  • Travel news and breaking stories for the West of England

  1. Motorways: open but very quietpublished at 10:14 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    The West Country's motorways are open - but most drivers seem to be heeding the advice of the emergency services and staying at home.

    M5Image source, Highways England
    Image caption,

    This is the scene on the M5 between J19-20.

    M4Image source, Highways England
    Image caption,

    And here's the M4 between J18-19.

    M5Image source, Highways England
    Image caption,

    This is the M5 in Gloucestershire between J14-15.

  2. Major emergency declared in Wiltshire due to A303 problemspublished at 09:52 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018
    Breaking

    Wiltshire Council's declared a major emergency due to the number of drivers stranded on the A303. They're asking the army for support to rescue them.

  3. Tractor driver helps hospital staff to workpublished at 09:44 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Hugh and Lisa in his tractorImage source, BBC News
    Image caption,

    Hugh on board his tractor with Lisa, his fourth passenger of the day so far

    As heavy snow continues to cause disruption throughout south east England, a tractor owner in Taunton, Somerset, is helping hospital staff into work.

    Hugh took to the roads this morning in response to a Facebook message from his wife stating that police were looking for people to help assist staff struggling to reach Musgrove Park hospital.

    "I thought they would struggle to get in, having seen the conditions last night," he told BBC News.Speaking from his tractor, Hugh said he contacted the hospital, who responded to his call "minutes later, with a couple of names".

    His current passenger, Lisa - the fourth of the day so far - said she would not have been able to make her four-mile journey into work had it not been for Hugh's unconventional transport service.

    She described the journey as "very nice" and said she was ready for a busy day at work.

    Avon and Somerset Police are urging people only to travel if absolutely necessary.

  4. Snow on the roads: latest travel updatepublished at 09:40 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Here's the latest on road conditions across the West Country:

    Wiltshire

    A303 blocked between Chicklade and Mere.

    A346 Chiselden is closed due to snow between B4005 New Road and Woolmer Drove.

    A350 Warminster is closed due to snow between A36 / B3414 Bath Road (Services roundabout) and the B3098 Warminster Road.

    Somerset

    A358 is closed in both directions due to snow between Minehead Road (Bishops Lydeard) and New Road (West Bagborough).

    A37 Shepton Mallet Kilver Street Hill is blocked due to snow around A361 Charlton Road (Charlton. Crossroads). A371 Prestleigh, Prestleigh Hill blocked due to snow around B3081 Prestleigh Road.

    A303 Ilminster in both directions is closed due to snow between the A358 / B3168 Station Road (Southfields roundabout, Ilminster) and A30 (Upottery).

    A30 in both directions blocked due to snow between East Street (Milborne Port) and A357 Ash End (Henstridge).

    Gloucestershire

    M5 northbound has heavy traffic with one lane closed due to jackknifed lorry between J12 B4008 (Quedgeley/Hardwicke) and J11A

    M48 Severn Bridge has one lane closed due to strong winds in both directions.

    A40 in both directions is closed due to snow between A429 (Northleach) and A436 (Andoversford).

    A40 Compton Abdale is blocked due to snow between A436 / A40 and A429.

    A417 Cirencester Road is blocked due to snow between Horcott Road / Coronation Street (Fairford) and Bell Lane (Poulton)

    A429 Bourton-on-the-Water is blocked due to snow around A436 Old Gloucester Road.

    A435 is blocked due to snow around Voxwell Lane, between Bishops Cleeve and Thetherington Hands.

    A435 closed due to snow between B4079 (Oxenton) and Voxwell Lane (Bishop's Cleeve).

    A46 is closed in both directions closed due to snow between M4 J18 (Bath / Tormarton) and the A4 London Road West.

    A4136 Nailbridge is blocked due to snow at Morse Road.

  5. Snow coming down again in Colefordpublished at 09:30 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  6. Lorries being dug out at Solstice Park near Amesburypublished at 09:27 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  7. Bus services are suspended in Bristolpublished at 09:26 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Media caption,

    Bus services are suspended in Bristol due to the snow

  8. Bristol Airport closed until at least middaypublished at 09:21 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  9. Clearing the snow in Colefordpublished at 09:17 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  10. More quiet streets in Bathpublished at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  11. People walking up to five miles to get to workpublished at 09:10 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  12. Burnham search and rescue team assisting with stranded motoristspublished at 09:01 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  13. What we know so far about: Roads in the Westpublished at 08:54 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Roads are in a very poor state across the West with very difficult, dangerous driving conditions, deep drifts and many abandoned vehicles.

    The emergency services strongly advise drivers not to attempt to travel if at all possible.

    On the motorways: The M4 and M5 are both open, but on the M5 north there are delays near Weston.

    The A303 is in a particularly bad way. There are around 100 cars stranded in the Illminster area with more stuck near Mere, and the road remains closed both ways between the A30 and A358 due to a serious collision.

    Wiltshire Police say some roads in the county are as closed as they are impassable, with people stuck in their cars, including:

    • the A346 Swindon
    • A4361 from Avebury to Wroughton
    • A27/A36 Whiteparish
    • B3089 West Knoyle
    • A30 near Pitton
    • Horton Road Devizes to Alton Barnes

  14. No bin collections in Wiltshirepublished at 08:42 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Rubbish in snow

    Bin collections in Wiltshire have been suspended and Wiltshire Council has closed all their Household Recycling Centres, BBC Wiltshire reports.

  15. Snow: what we know so far about public transportpublished at 08:38 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    The heavy snow is causing chaos across the West Country. Here's what we know so far this morning.

    Buses

    FirstBus, Bristol Community Transport, Wessex Bus, CTPlus will not be running any buses as road conditions are too dangerous at the moment. But Stagecoach are running some services.

    Airports

    Bristol Airport is open and operational - but some flights have been cancelled so check before you travel.

    Rail

    There is a limited service but GWR is advising passengers not to travel if possible.

  16. All First buses suspended in West of Englandpublished at 08:36 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  17. Wessex Bus services suspended in Bristolpublished at 08:33 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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  18. 'Stranded since yesterday afternoon'published at 08:22 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    SherborneImage source, Pearce Williams

    Pearce Williams, 19, from Sherborne, has been stranded in Yeovil since finishing work at about 14:45 GMT yesterday.

    He said: "It took me 45 minutes to travel one mile from Screwfix to Lurton Way - the traffic was awful.

    "It took me a further hour and 15 minutes to get to the hospital roundabout, where cars were being left as they were stuck and couldn't move - they were sliding and getting stuck.

    “The traffic came to a standstill so I turned around and went back to a friend’s house as it was too dangerous and I wouldn't have made it home with the amount of ice and snow that there was.”

  19. A303 latest: Highways England say it'll take 'good period of time' to clear roadpublished at 08:12 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

    Chris Regan from Highways England has been talking to BBC Wiltshire. Here's a summary of what he said:

    • There are approx 100 vehicles stuck there. We are working very hard to clear them. Teams are working flat out.
    • First job is to clear vehicles and then we can plough to clear the snow and ice - it will take time on the A303
    • We're working with police to look after the people affected but it is going to take "a good period of time" to clear the 100 or so vehicles
  20. Deserted Bathpublished at 08:03 Greenwich Mean Time 2 March 2018

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