Cumbria snow: Thousands lose power as disruption continues

People in Cumbria woke up on Sunday to another day of dealing with thick snow

About 7,000 homes and businesses lost power after heavy snow in Cumbria caused widespread disruption.

Police declared a major incident on Saturday evening, with about 200 vehicles marooned and stranded people forced to use temporary accommodation.

Electricity North West (ENWL) said its network had been "severely impacted" by 20 instances of damage due to the snow.

Engineers were "battling treacherous conditions" and impassable roads to restore supplies, ENWL said.

Overnight reception centres were set up for those left stranded by the severe conditions, and emergency services worked to reach people trapped in vehicles.

Cumbria Police has renewed its appeal for people not to travel in the county unless necessary.

A multi-agency response was launched on Saturday after the Met Office issued an amber warning for snow.

It said 4-6in (10-15cm) was possible in some areas before snowfall eased overnight and into Sunday.

A new yellow warning for ice has since been issued, running from 17:00 GMT on Sunday until 12:00 GMT on Monday.

'Worst conditions'

ENWL said it had restored some power by reconfiguring the network remotely, but some on-site repairs were needed.

Power to nearly 5,000 customers had been restored, but just over 2,000 remained without a supply, it said on Sunday.

Customer director Stephanie Trubshaw said: "These are without a doubt some of the worst conditions we have seen in terms of snow for several years.

"Teams worked into the night restoring power to customers but, as the snow continued to fall, further damage was caused to the network."

Staff were being drafted in to contact customers and a helicopter had been enlisted to help identify damage, the company said.

A "small number" of properties might not have supplies restored until Monday, ENWL added.

Daylight made everything look serene in Ambleside, despite the night's chaos

Harrison Ward, a cook and author, said that following the heavy snow, Ambleside looked "beautiful" for those who had planned to stay in the area.

"Less so for those bunkered down in the village halls right now," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

"Roads still shut, don't travel here. Roads at a standstill with abandoned cars as it is," he said.

"Gritters and emergency services struggling to get through."

The Reverend Jonny Gios, from the Gateway Church in Kendal, said the weather had been "pretty intense".

"There were snowflakes the size of large marbles," he said.

"It caught a lot of people out who'd come for a walk - or a drive - in the Lakes."

Mr Gios said he and his son had gritted some nearby roads, but "within two hours the snow had covered it over so it was impassable again".

"We put more grit down but the same thing happened again," he added.

"I went into town last night and then struggled to get back, but the Cumbrian spirit prevailed and people mucked in and helped each other out."

Kendal residents tried to help other out in the snow

Ant Brett, from Essex, said he had travelled to Cumbria on Saturday for a special event, but despite driving for 19 hours he could not reach his destination.

"I've been stuck since 4pm on Saturday," he told the BBC while waiting on the A595.

"I was heading up to a family wedding. It's fair to say I didn't make it.

"The cars here haven't had any water or food supplies. I'm down to my last bit of water and having to ration it.

"I know the emergency services are busy, but we've just been left here without help."

Cumbria Police said among the roads affected on Saturday evening were the M6, due to jack-knifed lorries, and the A595 which had been impassable.

Amid all the disruption, the dog stills needs walking

Communities came together across Cumbria to open up emergency reception centres offering food, drink and shelter to those who were stranded.

David Pittam, who was among dozens of people trapped in the village of Hawkshead, said people had spent the night in the local primary school and scout hut, while local residents had opened their doors to others.

"Very kindly, the local vicar has put us up for the night. Us and I think it's a brass band who all got stranded here," he said.

"They were supposed to be performing Christmas carols and couldn't make it back to where they lived.

"So it's us and a brass band up at the vicarage so its very Christmassy in a way."

Snow has also been falling at Windermere

Edward Crisp, who helped out at Coniston Sports Centre, which was also opened as a refuge, said he and others had looked after about 40 people overnight.

"We are looking at between 12 and 14in (30-36cm) of snow here," he said.

"All local accommodation appeared full, so the parish council and mountain rescue have directed people down to us."

He said the main priority had been to give people a hot drink and some food.

They had put out a call for bedding, with The Coniston Inn and local residents offering enough to provide people with blankets, quilts and some mats.

"I moved up 10 years ago and this is the worst snow I have seen," Mr Crisp added.

Community support centres opened in Cumbria include:

• Ambleside - Ambleside Parish Centre, Vicarage Road

• Windermere - Langstone House, Broad Street, Windermere

• Grizebeck - Grizebeck Community Hall

• Coniston - Coniston Sports and Social Centre

• Near and Far Sawry, Braithwaite Hall

• Bowness - Lake District Boat Club, Glebe Road, Bowness

• Troutbeck - Sun Inn, Troutbeck

• Staveley - Staveley Village Hall

• Hawkshead - Esthwaite Primary School, Main Street, Hawkshead

At one point, Cumbria Police estimated 200 vehicles were stuck

On Sunday, Cumbria Police said roads were still "challenging" as they were now icy after the heavy snowfall.

Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council highways teams were continuing to clear those roads most affected by the snow, the force said.

It added that priority routes were "all deemed to be passable with extreme care".

But Supt Andy Wilkinson said that due to low temperatures there was "a significant risk some areas will be impacted by black ice".

"Once again, we are asking people to only travel if necessary," he said.

See the latest police traffic updates here.

Kendal was one of the areas worst affected by the heavy snowfall

Fire and rescue crews, ambulance and mountain rescue teams have also been involved in the multi-agency operation.

Mountain rescuers said about 20 of their four-wheel drive vehicles had been used to help police reach those who were stuck in the snowy conditions.

Richard Warren, chairman of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, said: "I have never seen snow like it. We had the Beast from the East in 2018 which was pretty horrific.

"I suppose the good thing about it is that there was very little wind, but certainly in the areas we were checking there was a good foot of snow on the cars. It's amazing."

National Highways national network manager Dale Hipkiss said drivers who absolutely needed to travel in Cumbria should take extra precautions.

"Keeping a kit of essential items - like a torch and warm clothes - in your vehicle can be vital in case you and your passengers become stranded," he said.

"Freezing conditions bring so many hazards, please take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow extra time when travelling."

Train operator Northern said railway lines between Lancaster and Carlisle were blocked due to the severe weather and warned people not to travel.

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire said it would not be able to run some buses until roads were passable.

Coniston was among the areas transformed by the snow

BBC weather forecaster Jen Bartram said the difficult travel conditions were "likely to be continuing".

"I think the hazard is more likely to be ice because any melted snow that we have will refreeze over," she said.

"Of course, any further snow falling on to that frozen ground will just freeze as well."

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan added that unofficial reports indicated there was "comfortably in excess of 20cm, probably in excess of 30cm, of snow" across the Windermere and Coniston areas, Ambleside, and the far south of the county.

He said the situation had been unusual in that the snow "became slow-moving and gave the same areas of south Cumbria hour after hour of heavy snow, and that's what led to the significant disruption".