Wirral schools close as snow causes disruption

Jan 23 2013 by Linda Foo Guest, Birkenhead News

HEAVY snow fall caused schools in Wirral to close, giving children an unexpected long weekend of fun.

The first of the bad weather came on Friday morning which saw a flurry of schools closing within a matter of hours.

Children took advantage of the snow fall and got their sledges out, while others enjoyed making snowmen and snowdogs.

After a reasonable dry spell over the weekend, the snow returned in the early hours of Monday morning and continued through parts of the day.

This resulted in several primary schools deciding to close at lunchtime including Elleray Park School in Wallasey, Hillside Primary School, Prenton, Observatory School, Bidston, Stanley School, Thingwall and Rock Ferry Primary School.

Wirral Council said 522 tonnes of grit had been spread in the last week to keep roads moving.

Public transport continued to operate as normal on Monday without disruption.

Although on Friday there were a few severe delays on the Wirral line caused by signalling problems between James Street and Hamilton Square, afternoon services returned to normal as the snow cleared. Most buses operated as planned.

The cold snap is expected to continue with some places reaching as low as -3°C with icy conditions forecasted.

Drivers and pedestrians are warned to take extra care when venturing out as roads and pavements may be covered in ice.

Snow is predicted to clear with the exception of possible light flurries throughout the rest of the week.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: “Generally the rest of the week should be dry with sunny spells, but very cold and ice on the roads. Top temperatures could reach 1°C during the day and -3°C in the night.”