All white, but not alright

Following snowfalls on Saturday, Jack Frost returned with a vengeance on Tuesday night, leaving all but major roads treacherous for motorists and pedestrians alike.

Even where gritters had passed, slippery slush was a hazard, and untreated surfaces became glazed with ice as temperatures hovered at or below freezing throughout daylight hours.

The cold weather inevitably affected many local schools, and children who took advantage of the break from lessons to go sledging, build snowmen or indulge in snowball fights were among the few to enjoy the sub-zero introduction to Advent.

Schools closed yesterday and on Wednesday included: Bexhill College, Bexhill High School, All Saints’ CE Primary School, Glyne Gap School, Ninfield CE Primary School, Pebsham Community Primary School, Sidley Community Primary School, St Peter and St Paul CE Primary School and St Richard’s Catholic College.

In many cases, staff were unable to get in because the weather had made roads dangerous or impassable, particularly in Bexhill’s rural hinterland, or had affected public transport.

At St Richard’s, a spokesperson said: “Some of our students were due to have taken mock exams today, but these have now been postponed until next week in the hope that the weather improves.

Trains and buses were subjected to some delays, although Southern’s East Coastway rail route via Bexhill saw most services operating as normal on Tuesday and Wednesday. But journeys to and from London, notably via St Leonard’s on Southeastern’s Hastings-Tonbridge line, were thrown into disarray.

And yesterday (Thursday) train services were completely suspended.

Signalling problems, icing up of the 750-volt conductor rail from which electric trains draw their power and train crews unable to reach depots all contributed to disruption.

Wednesday saw Bexhill town centre lacking its usual bustle, although many shopkeepers did their best to attract customers by clearing snow and ice from pavement frontages and maintaining a cheery outlook in the important run up to Christmas.

With Rother district having the third highest concentration of people aged 50 or over in England, the bad weather was of particular concern for elderly people living in and around Bexhill.

Frances Winterborn, a local councillor and chairman of Bexhill Caring Community, said; “It’s vital in these conditions that the able-bodied do their best to help the more vulnerable members of our society.

“Just a knock at the door or a telephone call to make sure elderly or infirm neighbours are okay and have enough food and heat can be a God-send.

“And people who are frail or housebound should not worry about bills but should put their heating on, wear warm clothing and ensure they have plenty of hot drinks and hot food. Hypothermia can be a killer once cold gets in.

“Many people from the older generation don’t like to bother others or to make a fuss, but if they feel they are in difficulty they should not hesitate to seek help by contacting the council, charities or even the emergency services.”

• Due to the continued severe weather, South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust (SECAmb) is focusing its efforts on getting to those patients who need help the most.

The Trust’s efforts to get to patients are being significantly hampered due to the snowy and icy conditions.

While the number of calls is not significantly increasing, the Trust is struggling to get to emergencies quickly.

SECAmb has plans in place to deal with such conditions and has called on the support of voluntary organisations such as the Red Cross and St John Ambulance as well as other 4x4 vehicle suppliers to assist us in getting staff to and from work as well as responding to patients.