Anyone else have freezing rain this morning?

[ARW]

The worst driving conditions I have ever had to endure.

(Mr Harston was in the worst of it in Sheffield).

90 minutes to get to work 20 miles away. Pure ice forming on the roads as the rain hit them.

[Andy Burns]

No, was freezing yesterday evening, but warmed up and rained throughout the night, low cloud base today rather than yesterday's fog, rained all day. Saw results of one rear-ending and another spun off onto embankment on the M1 on way home, from standing water.

[John Rumm]

It was about 6 degrees here today, and very light rain.

[Ferretygubbins]

Yes, paths and untreated roads were lethal here (North Sheffield). In town it wasn't too bad by 09:30 but it still took until 12:00 to get most staff into the office - although much of that was due to the local schools staying shut until 10:00.

My oldest lad only had 8 in his class today but his school is virtually in the Peaks and is on a very exposed site(*)

Cheers

Mark

(*)

[Dave Liquorice]

Is this the latest headteacher "good idea"? Our new secondary head has also come up with this scheme to open the school late if the weather is bad. Really screws up working parents...

He's come from the Deep South and I don't think he quite realises what the winter weather is like at 900 to 1500' on the North Pennines and how much it varies with altitude. It can be driving settling snow with us at

1400' but 400' lower in the town only rain.

He also expects this late start time to enable parents to come via alternative routes. But being remote and rural there are very few alternative routes and to all intents and purposes none when the weather closes in. Or does he really expect people to drive 100+ miles round instead of the 15 for the normal journey?

[Nthkentman]

The worst driving conditions I have ever had to endure.

(Mr Harston was in the worst of it in Sheffield).

90 minutes to get to work 20 miles away. Pure ice forming on the roads as the rain hit them.

RAIN ! effin rain FFS.....

From 0700 ish to around 3pm I and a colleague were in a yard stripping and refurbishing the main carriage slides on an effin Moffat forklift in torrential rain. Regular stops to unload the water from *inside* the boots, hood of the waterproofs and socks, and anywhere else the effin stuff wanted to go. Had to keep the gas axe lighter in the van (Engine running, heater fan on Tornado setting) just to keep it dry enough to work and at +3 degrees it was a welcome warmth when I lit the gas axe to persuade the brackets to expand to let the pins go.

As for lying under the bloody heap of shit holding a 1" dia steel re-bar 3ft long while he "assisted" the pins out with my 14lb sledge it wasn't even slightly amusing when the nearby drain blocked with crap and leaves decided to overflow using my left trouser leg as an exit. The driest thing on me at 3pm was my mouth...Parched!

[dennis]

What does he expect the on time kids to do, sit in the car and freeze?

[Dave Liquorice]

This is the daft bit the school will be open for an extended "breakfast club". Some pupils normally arrive very early to allow parents to work, I think the Breakfast Club is a paid for extra for them. He also can't reschedule the buses so even relatively local kids will still be there by

0900 (assuming the buses are running...).

All this sort of assumes he can get enough staff in to have the correct ratio of staff to pupils. Some staff do live within walking distance but some are the other side of the high routes and won't be able to get in. One also assumes that to run the Breakfast Club one needs the catering staff in as well. Food hygiene regulations etc.

I've been trying to compose an email to him about this but it raises so many things I haven't been able to get my head around them all. This thread is helping... B-)