Pothole peril in thaw
Last updated at 12:18, Friday, 15 January 2010
A SLOW thaw this week ended weeks of sub-zero temperatures in Tynedale – but unveiled a new nightmare for motorists and Northumberland County Council alike.
For the receding snow and ice has revealed literally hundreds of new potholes in the district’s already heavily pockmarked roads.
Repair work on potholes and damaged pavements will run into millions of pounds – which the county council does not have.
The council is now braced for multiple claims from motorists for damaged wheels and tyres.
It is asking residents to report any major potholes on 0845 6006400.
The council will prioritise those most in need of repair, but with over 3,000 miles of roads in the county to cover, this will take time, even though additional money will be allocated.
The potholes come as a sting in the tail following the most severe winter weather the district has suffered in 30 years.
The thaw from Sunday to Tuesday was followed by black ice on many roads on Wednesday morning, and another two inches of snow yesterday morning.
Although more than two feet of snow fell in some places during the week, there were sighs of relief that it was not accompanied by strong winds, and there was little in the way of drifting.
Fears that the thaw would bring heavy flooding as it had in the past also proved groundless, as the thaw has been gentle and rivers have coped with the extra water.
As well as blocked roads, closed schools, unemptied bins, power cuts and water shortages, Tynedale folk had to run the gauntlet of massive icicles hanging from buildings – some up to 10 feet long.
Their weight brought down guttering in some places, and at least one window was broken by falling ice.
Among the victims of the weather was Hexham Mart, which was forced to call off its Friday sale for the first time in decades.
Although sales were suspended during the foot and mouth crisis in 2001, it was the first time the weather had intervened.
Auctioneer Trevor Simpson said: “All the cattle and sheep that had entered couldn’t get out of the farms.”
No-one appreciated the partial thaw more than wheelchair user Lorraine Hershon, marooned in her home in the remote hamlet of Unthank, near Haltwhistle, for 17 days.
Last week she and her family were running low on heating oil and groceries as vehicles could not get to them.
The slight thaw allowed her husband Daniel to walk to a neighbours’ home to get a lift to shops in their 4x4 vehicle.
The Hershons have been bowled over by the generosity of their neighbours, after local farmer Roland Webster brought firewood on his tractor and family friend Ruby Dale walked three miles to deliver the family’s post.
An unprecedented de-mand for winter essentials brought shortages throughout Tynedale.
Bread, milk, salt and grit have been flying off the shelves, while many clothes and outdoor shops are now awaiting a backlog of deliveries.
Stuart Kent, owner of Wild Outdoors in Halt-whistle, said 20 sledges had arrived last Thursday, every one of which had sold by Saturday.
While the snowy slopes and temperatures as low as -18C brought out skiers and sledgers in their hundreds, the fun was mixed with potential tragedy.
The Great North Air Ambulance was scrambled twice last Sunday to airlift women to hospital with back injuries after their sledges had come to grief.
Skiers flocked to the slopes of Allenheads and Alston in such numbers that access had to be restricted at the popular Yad Moss slopes near Alston. Membership of the Allenheads Ski Club also hit its maximum level of 500 for the first time in over 20 years.
There was much evidence of the Dunkirk spirit, with neighbours doing shopping for the elderly and infirm.
Setting an example to everyone were John and Thelma Dixon, of Main Street, Haltwhistle, who battled through snow to deliver meals on wheels to elderly folk in the town.
Mr Dixon is 89, and Mrs Dixon is 78!
The county council was keen to burst the myth that people who clear paths of snow and ice could face legal action from anyone who subsequently slips and falls.
A spokesman said: “There is nothing in health and safety legislation to prevent a person taking sensible steps to clear a pathway to improve the situation.
“Nor should anybody who volunteers to support their community feel they are in danger of being sued and be put off wanting to help others.”
And while some of the bigger shops in Hexham and Prudhoe suffered a fall in sales, village stores did a roaring trade.
There was much praise for the efforts put in by staff of the county highways department, which battled round the clock to keep major roads open.
Bus drivers, too, managed to get their ungainly vehicles over treacherous roads where ordinary motorists feared to travel.
Alston’s Wright Bros service to Hexham has continued to run each Tuesday, with managing director Gary Wright commenting: “The Wright Bros has had a tradition of always getting through, even when winters were real winters!”
Teachers at Haydon Bridge High School rang each individual scheduled to take an exam on Monday to make sleeping arrangements in the village, while staff at Hexham Queen Elizabeth High School advised worried parents to make similar arrangements in Hexham.
Four pupils living in Weardale were being collected by Samuel Kings School, Alston, as the road through Killhope was impassable, while students made it into Prudhoe and Ponteland after access roads and car parks were cleared of snow.
Parents at Whittonstall First School also turned out in numbers on Sunday to clear the car park to ensure their children got to school on Monday.
(For full details and more pictures, turn to pages 4, 5, 6 and 13.)
First published at 09:43, Friday, 15 January 2010
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk
