Travellers facing more misery as big freeze grips Yorkshire

A severe weather warning for Yorkshire was issued by the Met Office and drivers were left stranded overnight on Wednesday in South Yorkshire as heavy snow caused major transport problems.

Some drivers on the A57 between Todwick and Worksop spent a second night in their vehicles and others sheltered at a Methodist hall, mountain rescue teams helping those stranded.

On the railways, East Midlands Trains was operating a revised timetable to and from London yesterday but cancelled all services on routes including Sheffield to Liverpool.

Northern Rail said many of its routes were closed owing to snow, such as Wakefield to Pontefract and Barnsley to Huddersfield.

Rail services in Castleford were disrupted as thieves undeterred by the conditions stole 50 metres of cable between Whitwood Junction and Castleford on Wednesday night.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service were advising people to take extra care when travelling and its non-emergency patient transport service for routine appointments has been cancelled.

Meanwhile, police yesterday named the woman who fell into a freezing lake on Wednesday at Pontefract Racecourse as Susan Harris, 51. Her death is not being treated as suspicious.

West Yorkshire's chief fire office Simon Pilling praised local residents for taking on board fire safety information.

The snow provided fun for children at around 1,000 schools across the region, who were given the day off, with South Yorkshire, East Riding and North Yorkshire the worst affected areas.

The blitz spirit could be found at Barnsley Hospice, where some staff walked more than three miles to get into work, despite the area's deepest snowfall since 1981.

There was also a sense of businesses helping communities as a Doncaster firm went around in 4x4 vehicles donating emergency food packs to elderly people in Askern and Campsall.

But services such as blood donations have been hit, NHS Blood and Transplant saying around 400 fewer donations had been made in Yorkshire because of cancelled sessions.

However, one service has remained fully intact. Ripon resident George Pickles, 73, the town's current hornblower, has still been going out at 9pm every night to sound his horn in the town's market square, despite the snow. Not a single night has been missed since the tradition began 1,100 years ago.

Mr Pickles said: "It is a big responsibility and I wouldn't miss it for anything. It is a wonderful job."