Tuesday, November 30, 2010

DEEP AND CRISP AND EVEN

It's a long time since we've seen snow like this in Brigg. And no end in sight.
We took some good pix tonight and will post them in the morning, once we've thawed out. Full marks to the dustbin crew from North Lincolnshire Council for emptying the bins today and to all those Brigg shops which kept open and kept serving, even if customers were few and far between.

4 comments:

Ken Harrison said...

Traffic about Brigg tonight was horrendous!
For some time between late afternoon and early evening, Brigg became an isolated island; Mortal Ash Hill was closed with a jack-knifed HGV, while the roads around Barnetby Top were closed owing to accidents. To worsen the already precarious situation vehicles were unable to get up Wrawby hill. Indeed, 3 artics were abandoned at Brigg Road End.
One lady in Tesco (at 7pm) said it had taken her about 2 hours to travel from the far end of Wrawby. Meanwhile, the tail-back of traffic along the A18 was stacked up along Barnard Ave.
When I left Brigg to travel home to Wrawby, at 8pm, it took me about an hour - cars formed an orderly jam outside the Rec.. while drivers exhanged greeings, and wondered about the road to break the boredom.

When I got to Wrawby, the snow had drifted to the extent I was knee-deep in fresh snow. The car was left on the main road - deliberately facing down-hill.

I hope you've got some decent pixs of Market Place, Scribs.
The trees were coated in a ghostly white, while the bandstand wore a white, neat bonnet. Drifting created symetrically contrating black and white bollards.
The landcape appeared to have been delicately sculptured in fine filgree lace - ehanced by reflective sparkling from the street lighting.
It was surreal, Nige.

gmsmith said...

Would it be possible to keep this article as an update ?
The situation this morning Wed 8 am is that there is NO traffic able to get down Sunningdale avenue , Springbank and Grammar school road lower at all .

Updates would be appreciated .

Ken Harrison said...

gmsmithy:

For info:
I had to leave home at 5.20am to prepare and take a friend for a hosp op.
I gave myself plenty of time.
At that time in the morn, the whole route from Wrawby to Briggate Lodge was severely dodgy.
Admittedly, I was one of the very few vehicles on the road at that time and I was for the most of the time cutting new wheel tracks in deep snow.
I spied two snow ploughs (one in Barnard Ave going towards Scunny, the other at Scawby x-roads travelling towards Brigg - one which was a combined plough and spreader - neither was actively involved in clearing the snow.
Okay...so the gritter may have had a list of priority roads to salt, but I would question why such lorries were not using their ploughs as a maater of cause to clear the accumulation of 12/15" deep snow.
Once I set off I was committed....there was no escape route to turn round and go back home - if we had to - until we got to Briggate Lodge roundabout. For example, the Tesco entrance was just a deep snow drift and the mini-roundabout in Scawby Brook left me no alternative other than to follow the A18 towards Castlethorpe Corner (the Hibs/Scawby road was just a vigin block of deep snow).
After Briggate Lodge, the conditions down Mortal Ash improved - heavy traffic had at least crunched and compressed the standing snow. At this point, I was able to increase speed from a 15/16 mph crawl from Wrawby, via Brigg.
Dumped friend in hospital very early and returned. From Briggate Lodge most of the A18 had regained a layer of virgin snow - any tracks that did exist had essentially gone.
Very few vehicles on road - but me old Polo did well, climbed Wrawby Hill quite well....left car on main route as house lane is, in places, now knee-deep.
Travel is not recommended - unless essential

gmsmith said...

Interesting whether the Brigg - Hibaldstow road is open ? 4 x 4 vehicles are now getting through ,however I still have not seen any 2 wheel drive vehicles on Grammar School rd and Springbank . Sunningdale ave is still virgin snow .
Plenty of people using Shankseys Pony on the roads and good to see some more able bodies checking on the elderly and doing some essential food shopping for them .

Personally I have cleared the path outside my house ,Elf and Safety will be horrified but we always used to and as a community every little helps.

By the way Ken radio humberside are asking 4 x 4 drivers to report to Diana Princess of Wales hospital to help ferry patients to and from hospital.