SEVERE snow and freezing temperatures brought York and the surrounding region to a standstill as the cold snap continued.

Every secondary school in York and scores of primary schools were forced to close yesterday, with pupils sent home early to escape the snow.

Bus companies First York and Arriva both suspended services at one stage, leaving many people struggling to get home. Grimston Bar Park&Ride was suspended again today.

Museums, colleges, libraries and York’s Energise Leisure Centre also closed, trains were delayed and the region’s roads were gridlocked after 20 centimetres of snow fell yesterday morning.

Council workers had some problems getting into old peoples’ homes and some workers were asked to do double-shifts or stay overnight.

Bin collections were also abandoned and the council’s waste recycling centres closed for the day.

The Lord Mayor of York, Coun Sue Galloway, said: “I would say you would have to go back to 1981 to see snow as bad as this.”

Businesses also felt the effect of the freeze.

A member of staff at Xing Smoothies, in Shambles, said: “The street has been dead. We were busy with soups at lunchtime, but later it was dead.”

The landlord of the Buck Inn in Pickering said trade was “virtually non-existent” yesterday.

On the roads, motorists faced long delays, including those trapped on the A19, after an accident in Brayton left drivers sitting for more than two hours until the damaged vehicle was removed.

Sutton Bank was affected for a second day and remained closed last night due to heavy snow and there were delays for motorists at Whitwell-on-the-Hill after two lorries collided.

In East Yorkshire, police said they experienced such high levels of calls from motorists that they asked callers to consider how urgently they needed contact the emergency services.

A spokesman for Humberside Police said: “We are asking the public to consider whether calls are essential before ringing and also to expect an increased response time.

“The predictions are that these current weather conditions could be with us across the region for the next few days. Some parts of the region have been experiencing both rain and snow which can make driving conditions very dangerous. Please be careful and take extra care on your journey.”


Staying cold

THE region looks set to see little let-up today. The Met Office was warning to expect snow showers through the evening with temperatures this morning not expected to rise above zero.

A bitterly cold night is predicted this evening with York seeing temperatures plunge to -7C and the snow showers continuing.

City of York Council said gritting teams were “fully engaged” throughout the city and confirmed a recent delivery of grit had brought stocks up to 1,600 tonnes.

North Yorkshire County Council said it had spread 14,000 tonnes of salt in the last two weeks and that all 300 highways operations staff had been diverted to deal with the winter conditions.


Designer outlet closure

YORK Designer Outlet at Naburn closed early yesterday with all 120 of its stores shutting at 2pm.

A spokeswoman said centre staff made the decision in the interests of both customers and 1,500 staff. She said: “That is quite a lot of people to take into account when we are thinking about people coming and leaving work. We grit the paths and clear the car parks here, so it is more about the safety of people travelling here.” Centre staff were waiting until this morning before deciding whether to open today.

At Monks Cross Shopping Centre, north of the city, individual stores took the decision whether or not to close with most shutting their doors in the early afternoon and the rest expected to follow suit by 5pm.

In normal weather, all stores would have remained open until 9pm.


Too cold for Wonderland

TODAY’S Winter Wonderland event in Davygate has been cancelled – due to the severe weather.

Organisers had hoped to set up Christmas stalls, a Santa’s grotto with elves, mulled wine, live music and roasted chestnuts.

But due to the poor weather, the event has now been postponed until next Thursday.


Court failure

The snowy weather was no excuse for defendants at York Magistrates Court.

When Trevor Michael Barlow, 43, failed to appear to be sentenced for shoplifting computer games from Bulmers Selling Services in Lord Mayor’s Walk, magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest.

They heard his home in Welborn Close, Tang Hall, was within walking distance of the Clifford Street courthouse and decided the wintry weather did not prevent him from attending.

York Crown Court closed early to allow witnesses, jurors and others to get home before the weather worsened.


Reindeer woe

ORGANISERS have declared it too snowy for reindeer at Bramham Park this Sunday.

More than 300 runners had been expected to run the 10km and 5km course of the annual RNLI Reindeer Run.

But with 14 inches of snow already on the ground and more expected before the weekend, organisers have cancelled the event.

It was the first time the event, run in aid of the country’s lifeboats, was to be held in Yorkshire.


Drop-in is off

A DROP-IN session about plans for a £6.5 million upgrade of flood defences in the Leeman Road area of York was cancelled because of the snow.

The Environment Agency had planned to stage the public consultation event between 3pm and 7pm yesterday at St Barnabas School in Jubilee Terrace. It will be rearranged for a later date.


More cancellations

The Yorkshire Dialect Society’s Christmas Crack, scheduled for Saturday in York, has been cancelled while Dringhouses Scout Group has called off its paper collection for this weekend.

Meanwhile, today’s Stockton Lane Play Group in York has also been cancelled.