Army Rescues Hundreds Of UK Motorists Stranded in Snowstorm

Hundreds of motorists have been rescued from their cars after becoming trapped by raging blizzards on a road in Devon. More than 200 people were picked up by teams of police, soldiers and civilian volunteers and taken to a series of shelters after around a foot of snow caused traffic chaos in parts of the county. About 200 vehicles were trapped on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter, with sever al dozen more further west on the A386 near Tavistock. Motorists spent several hours in their cars waiting for police to reach them, with others choosing to abandon their vehicles and walk through snow drifts to safety. Devon and Cornwall Police used a fleet of 4x4s to try to reach the passengers on the A38 and A380 near Haldon Hill, with the civilian Dartmoor Rescue Group also helping. Stranded Motorist Sue Bullock Talks To Sky Elsewhere, the southbound M5 in the Exeter area was closed to keep motorists away from the rescue operation. Abandoned cars on A-roads affected were towed away, while motorists forced to wait were being given hot drinks. Locals at the scene in Telegraph Hill said around 2ft of snow had settled and all roads in the area had been closed off. One driver stuck on the A38 at Haldon Hill told how 3ins of snow fell in an hour. She said: "The cars just skidded all over the place." Katie Stallard, Sky's west of England correspondent, said the speed of the snowfall caught motorists out. "People said they were setting out and the road looked fine but it then quickly became impassable," she said. "I came up behind two snow ploughs weaving in and out of abandoned cars. "My car got stuck and the Sky satellite truck had to be towed by the Dartmoor Search and Rescue team." Stallard said rescue teams had been checking on motorists who had opted to stay in their cars overnight. Snow is expected to hit other parts of the country today, including the Midlands and southern counties. Sky News weather forecaster Isobel Lang said London was being hit by snow, and thunder, but the weather should not be severe enough to cause disruption. She said the heaviest snow would stay to the north and west of London. The M4 corridor is experiencing "atrocious conditions", Lang said. She said areas from the south west of England and south east Wales across the south Midlands to the north east Home Counties would be worst hit. Rail passengers face disruption in several areas including Wales, the Midlands, the South West and Yorkshire. On the roads, driving conditions are particularly dangerous on the M4 and M5 in Wiltshire. People are connecting with each other on a child to child level. It's like a rubber band, pinging you back to a moment in your past. Humanistic counsellor Joanna Yardley There is also growing concern over dwindling supplies of salt and grit to treat icy roads, with the AA claiming the shortage is putting lives at risk. "This is a very serious situation with some roads becoming death traps," Edmund King, president of the AA, said. The Highways Agency has repeated its warning for motorists to take care on the roads this morning. But some local authorities said stocks of salt are running low because gritters have been working constantly since the beginning of the week. Eight councils have had to "prioritise" their remaining stocks in order to focus on the most important roads, said Councillor Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association Environment Board.

LiveLeak | February 6, 2009

Tags:. .isobel. .dartmoor. .tavistock. .stallard. .atrocious