02-07-2009, 02:51 PM
LONDON, England (CNN) -- Britain's coldest winter in almost two decades bared its teeth again Friday, with more snow trapping hundreds of motorists in their cars.
Police, the army and civilian rescue teams rushed to help people trapped overnight south of Exeter, Devon, where 200 cars and dozens of trucks were snow-bound, the British Press Association reported.
"Wherever they're gonna go, they're gonna get stuck," said PC Carter of Chudleigh Police, just outside Exeter. "Everything's ground to a halt."
Rescuers needed 4x4s to reach the trapped motorists.
Some drivers abandoned their cars along the road overnight, trudging to nearby hotels to wait for the snow to pass. Watch the snow stall motorists û
"You couldn't drive because it was coming onto your windscreen so thick and fast that it was just impossible to see," one woman staying warm at a hotel told CNN affiliate ITN. "You couldn't see the car in front and your tires were starting to skid, and it was really scary."
One man was stuck in his truck.
"I think I've been fairly lucky -- I managed to do most of what I've got to do, but this has got gradually worse," he told ITN from the cab of his truck. "It's got gradually worse and worse and worse until I got here. I've been here for 2 1/2 hours."
Devon and Cornwall Police urged people to avoid the area altogether and avoid travel whenever possible.
The snow, which has continued to fall across Britain following Monday's huge dump that brought the country to a virtual standstill, forced more airport closures Friday. Watch an iReporter talk about being snowed in û
Luton, about 50 kilometers north of London, cancelled all flights until at least midday, while Bristol said it was closing until mid-morning.
However, London's major airports -- Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick -- were all open for business as normal.
Britain's Met Office issued another severe weather warning, saying snow would be heavy at times with up to 10 cm over high ground.
It said the snow was likely to lead to further travel delays and warned the icy conditions would continue into the weekend.
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe...old.winter
Police, the army and civilian rescue teams rushed to help people trapped overnight south of Exeter, Devon, where 200 cars and dozens of trucks were snow-bound, the British Press Association reported.
"Wherever they're gonna go, they're gonna get stuck," said PC Carter of Chudleigh Police, just outside Exeter. "Everything's ground to a halt."
Rescuers needed 4x4s to reach the trapped motorists.
Some drivers abandoned their cars along the road overnight, trudging to nearby hotels to wait for the snow to pass. Watch the snow stall motorists û
"You couldn't drive because it was coming onto your windscreen so thick and fast that it was just impossible to see," one woman staying warm at a hotel told CNN affiliate ITN. "You couldn't see the car in front and your tires were starting to skid, and it was really scary."
One man was stuck in his truck.
"I think I've been fairly lucky -- I managed to do most of what I've got to do, but this has got gradually worse," he told ITN from the cab of his truck. "It's got gradually worse and worse and worse until I got here. I've been here for 2 1/2 hours."
Devon and Cornwall Police urged people to avoid the area altogether and avoid travel whenever possible.
The snow, which has continued to fall across Britain following Monday's huge dump that brought the country to a virtual standstill, forced more airport closures Friday. Watch an iReporter talk about being snowed in û
Luton, about 50 kilometers north of London, cancelled all flights until at least midday, while Bristol said it was closing until mid-morning.
However, London's major airports -- Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick -- were all open for business as normal.
Britain's Met Office issued another severe weather warning, saying snow would be heavy at times with up to 10 cm over high ground.
It said the snow was likely to lead to further travel delays and warned the icy conditions would continue into the weekend.
Find this article at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe...old.winter