Bolton begins to clear up the snow - better weather emerging

3:50pm Saturday 26th January 2013 in News

Tree falls on Blackburn Road Tree falls on Blackburn Road

THICK snow caused major disruption across Bolton as bus services were suspended and cars came to a standstill.

People who braved driving in the snow faced nightmare journeys as vehicles struggled to get through the thick blanket on Friday evening.

Some areas of Bolton received up to seven inches of snow — Horwich is thought to have been among the worst affected.

Many people, including Pub Watch chairman Michelle Parkinson, became stranded and had to sleep where they could until the snow started to thaw.

She and a staff member were forced to stay in the Blue Boar, the pub she runs, in Deansgate.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team’s volunteers were inundated with call outs overnight on Friday into Saturday. Around 20 volunteers turned out to 14 jobs including transporting young children and elderly people to hospital and helping ambulances get through the snow.

Team leader Garry Rhodes said the conditions were the worst the group had experienced and jobs had to be turned down due to demand.

He said: “The conditions are the worst we have ever seen over a short period. We dealt with 26 incidents in one day when it snowed previously but we have never had 14 jobs in a night before.

“We were mostly at residents’ properties assisting ambulances and getting casualties to hospital. We had four Land Rovers on the 14 jobs and were supported by team members who had their own 4x4 vehicles.”

Many of the group had less than three hours sleep between call-outs. While carrying out their rescues, one of the group’s vehicles was pelted with snowballs by youths in Breightmet.

Maytree Travel was forced to cancel their services on Friday evening due to the thick snow and ran partial services on Saturday. And First Manchester suffered problems with its Bolton routes due to the town centre being gridlocked.

Dedicated fans helped clear footpaths and the pitch at The Reebok to avoid the FA Cup clash against Everton being cancelled.

A police spokesman confirmed there were no major incidents for officers during the snowfall. Many officers were assisting with vehicles unable to move.

PCSO Neal Mason, who lives in Bolton, but works in Ramsbottom became stranded at work after helping free vehicles stuck in the snow, along with a health worker, from Bromley Cross. Realising they would not get home a couple from Ramsbottom offered them both a room each for the night.

He said: “We got stuck around 11.30pm on Friday. I kept looking at the snow and it got to the point where we thought we weren’t going to get home. Luckily the couple saw we were both struggling and offered us both a bed for the night. they have kids who have left home and said we would be welcome to have a room each. They gave us some homemade soup and gave me some spare clothes because my uniform was soaked from the snow. They were lovely.”

In other news:

  • The overnight heavy snow has caused disruption to the delivery of Saturday's The Bolton News to many shops. It is available at some outlets but not all. If you have your copy home delivered we are endeavoring to get copies to you as quickly as possible but due to the weather conditions thus may not be until tomorrow. We apologise for any inconvenience.
  • A tree fell across Blackburn Road, blocking the road. Some drivers were forced to abandon their cars and walk home since it added hours to journey times.
  • Wanderers fans  frantically helped to clear the snow around the Reebok Stadium ahead of today's FA Cup fourth round game against Everton.

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Keep up to date with the state of the roads via our traffic news

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Comments (29)

8:56am Sat 26 Jan 13

Misnomer says...

With what came down last night using a gritter is like using a paint brush to sweep the streets. That amount of snow needed a PLOUGH! I saw 2 following each other on the M61 - both going in the opposite direction! Now that is bad management. One lane in each direction being ploughed would have been a better sollution!
With what came down last night using a gritter is like using a paint brush to sweep the streets. That amount of snow needed a PLOUGH! I saw 2 following each other on the M61 - both going in the opposite direction! Now that is bad management. One lane in each direction being ploughed would have been a better sollution! Misnomer

9:47am Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

Darcy Lever which is an important bus route for many commuters saw not one gritter yesterday and the Radcliffe Road between Darcy Lever and Little Lever was a complete deathe trap when the snow started to fall - luckily there were no accidents due to drivers abilities but to not to grit that road with the big dip between Darcy Lever and Little Lever and another dip between Darcy Lever and Castle Street was a pathetic judgement by the council gritting planners - do they not realise how much traffic goes along Radcliffe Road????
Darcy Lever which is an important bus route for many commuters saw not one gritter yesterday and the Radcliffe Road between Darcy Lever and Little Lever was a complete deathe trap when the snow started to fall - luckily there were no accidents due to drivers abilities but to not to grit that road with the big dip between Darcy Lever and Little Lever and another dip between Darcy Lever and Castle Street was a pathetic judgement by the council gritting planners - do they not realise how much traffic goes along Radcliffe Road???? BWFC71

10:09am Sat 26 Jan 13

EllenSpeaks says...

Think the match today should be cancelled, not safe for fans to attempt to get to the Reebok on the roads, it's an accident waiting to happen. Of course money means it would be too expensive to cancel the match and re-arrange it... never mind people risking there life!
Think the match today should be cancelled, not safe for fans to attempt to get to the Reebok on the roads, it's an accident waiting to happen. Of course money means it would be too expensive to cancel the match and re-arrange it... never mind people risking there life! EllenSpeaks

10:30am Sat 26 Jan 13

raggadaddy says...

Gritter out past my house twice last night and again at 7am this morning with plough attachment on front
Gritter out past my house twice last night and again at 7am this morning with plough attachment on front raggadaddy

10:54am Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

I saw ONE gritter last night and I presume it was a Bury one as it was heading towards Bury NOT dropping any grit!!!! But Breightmet, Darcy Lever, Withins areas of Bolton (as far down as the ring road) definietly have NOT been gritted at all. No one has seen a gritter, no traces of a gritter on the roads - so where have these 932 miles been clocked up???

Tell tale sign that gritters not out that bus services were (up to 1030am) still suspended on thsi side of town due to imp[assable roads!
I saw ONE gritter last night and I presume it was a Bury one as it was heading towards Bury NOT dropping any grit!!!! But Breightmet, Darcy Lever, Withins areas of Bolton (as far down as the ring road) definietly have NOT been gritted at all. No one has seen a gritter, no traces of a gritter on the roads - so where have these 932 miles been clocked up??? Tell tale sign that gritters not out that bus services were (up to 1030am) still suspended on thsi side of town due to imp[assable roads! BWFC71

11:09am Sat 26 Jan 13

EllenSpeaks says...

I really cannot understand why today's match has not been postponed. It's all well and good people helping to clear the snow at the Reebok (and good on them!) but seriously have BWFC or the FA given any thought to those travelling from Bolton, and or Liverpool for that matter?
I really cannot understand why today's match has not been postponed. It's all well and good people helping to clear the snow at the Reebok (and good on them!) but seriously have BWFC or the FA given any thought to those travelling from Bolton, and or Liverpool for that matter? EllenSpeaks

11:23am Sat 26 Jan 13

cosmicma says...

lots of people out last night along Deane road near the tesco garage helping push cars to keep the traffic moving.
nice to see some community spirit for a change well done those that helped
gritters came eventually to try and clear the snow but even they were struggling
lots of people out last night along Deane road near the tesco garage helping push cars to keep the traffic moving. nice to see some community spirit for a change well done those that helped gritters came eventually to try and clear the snow but even they were struggling cosmicma

12:22pm Sat 26 Jan 13

davoovad says...

No buses in Great Lever , the gritters haven't even done higher swan lane.
What a joke this council is !!!
No buses in Great Lever , the gritters haven't even done higher swan lane. What a joke this council is !!! davoovad

12:39pm Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

Most up to date information from TfGM

http://www.tfgm.com/
Corporate/media_cent
re/Pages/News.aspx?a
rticleId=145


Most up to date information from Maytree Travel

https://www.facebook
.com/#!/pages/Maytre
e-Travel/36017482073
0901?fref=ts
Most up to date information from TfGM http://www.tfgm.com/ Corporate/media_cent re/Pages/News.aspx?a rticleId=145 Most up to date information from Maytree Travel https://www.facebook .com/#!/pages/Maytre e-Travel/36017482073 0901?fref=ts BWFC71

1:36pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Reality50 says...

Where were the gritters in Farnworth yesterday? Can Cliff Morris explain? It seems all gritting resources were used on Bolton town centre at the expense of Farnworth Westhoughton and other outlying towns.
Where were the gritters in Farnworth yesterday? Can Cliff Morris explain? It seems all gritting resources were used on Bolton town centre at the expense of Farnworth Westhoughton and other outlying towns. Reality50

1:37pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Reality50 says...

Totally agree the BWFC match should have been called off and re arranged. It is impossible for many people to travel today and unsafe for some especially the elderly and disabled.
Totally agree the BWFC match should have been called off and re arranged. It is impossible for many people to travel today and unsafe for some especially the elderly and disabled. Reality50

1:43pm Sat 26 Jan 13

boydell says...

Anyone going out in this type of weather if its not necessary needs their heads looked at.

I feel sorry for the people who really have to go out either to work, or to look after old relatives.

The ones who insist on travelling to the shops to stock up with ten pints of milk and a dozen loaves are probably the ones who are doing most of the moaning.

The carers and people in essential positions know they have a job to do so they just get on with it.

To the ones who don't have to travel just turn on the television, turn on the fire and shut up griping all the time.

The gritter workers are doing the best they can and they are getting no thanks for the hard work they are doing all through the night while the rest of us are tucked up in bed....

So there!!
Anyone going out in this type of weather if its not necessary needs their heads looked at. I feel sorry for the people who really have to go out either to work, or to look after old relatives. The ones who insist on travelling to the shops to stock up with ten pints of milk and a dozen loaves are probably the ones who are doing most of the moaning. The carers and people in essential positions know they have a job to do so they just get on with it. To the ones who don't have to travel just turn on the television, turn on the fire and shut up griping all the time. The gritter workers are doing the best they can and they are getting no thanks for the hard work they are doing all through the night while the rest of us are tucked up in bed.... So there!! boydell

1:52pm Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

All night????/ I was up all night and not one gritter truck came down Radcliffe Road whether last night or night before and no gritter truck at all yesterday.

So where ever they may be gritting they may be doing a good job, but on the East side of Bolton they have been missed - says it all when ALL buses were suspended from even using the main roads both last night and this morning!!!
All night????/ I was up all night and not one gritter truck came down Radcliffe Road whether last night or night before and no gritter truck at all yesterday. So where ever they may be gritting they may be doing a good job, but on the East side of Bolton they have been missed - says it all when ALL buses were suspended from even using the main roads both last night and this morning!!! BWFC71

1:53pm Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

PS that does not help the people who do have to work and taxis/private hires refusing to pick up due to the state of the roads!!! That is one-days pay I ahve lost due to the inept council workers.
PS that does not help the people who do have to work and taxis/private hires refusing to pick up due to the state of the roads!!! That is one-days pay I ahve lost due to the inept council workers. BWFC71

2:13pm Sat 26 Jan 13

tony000 says...

the grit they have used is rubbish we put some down on the hill near use its took hours to work must be a cheep job lot bolton council have bought the grit was taken from a grit box at the top of our road its useless.
the grit they have used is rubbish we put some down on the hill near use its took hours to work must be a cheep job lot bolton council have bought the grit was taken from a grit box at the top of our road its useless. tony000

3:42pm Sat 26 Jan 13

boydell says...

I hope that the fans who helped to clear the snow at the reabok didn't have to pay to see the game.
As a matter of interest I wonder if any of the players helped to clear the snow, or was it beneath them to work hard for a change !!
I hope that the fans who helped to clear the snow at the reabok didn't have to pay to see the game. As a matter of interest I wonder if any of the players helped to clear the snow, or was it beneath them to work hard for a change !! boydell

4:21pm Sat 26 Jan 13

grimtown says...

Breightmet scum. Should strip the parents of their benefits.
Breightmet scum. Should strip the parents of their benefits. grimtown

4:32pm Sat 26 Jan 13

boydell says...

grimtown wrote:
Breightmet scum. Should strip the parents of their benefits.
Whats your problem. this comment is right out of order, you numpty. !!
[quote][p][bold]grimtown[/bold] wrote: Breightmet scum. Should strip the parents of their benefits.[/p][/quote]Whats your problem. this comment is right out of order, you numpty. !! boydell

4:59pm Sat 26 Jan 13

jenberts says...

fans frantically helped to clear the snow around the Reebok Stadium ahead of today's FA Cup fourth round game against Everton.

Why cant these people get out and help to clear the snow around hospitals and schools.... would have been a better use of there energy ....
fans frantically helped to clear the snow around the Reebok Stadium ahead of today's FA Cup fourth round game against Everton. Why cant these people get out and help to clear the snow around hospitals and schools.... would have been a better use of there energy .... jenberts

5:00pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Lancashire always says...

Grimtown were you on a different page than us ? i really dont understand why you said this comment ?
Grimtown were you on a different page than us ? i really dont understand why you said this comment ? Lancashire always

5:00pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Lancashire always says...

Grimtown were you on a different page than us ? i really dont understand why you said this comment ?
Grimtown were you on a different page than us ? i really dont understand why you said this comment ? Lancashire always

5:37pm Sat 26 Jan 13

bwfc0210 says...

Wrong grit or cheap grit-are you for real? How many gritters does bolton have, is it about 8? Hard to do all roads when loads of traffic already on road, how do you expect the grit wagon to get there, fly over the traffic. Anybody think the council ain't out needs their head examined.
Wrong grit or cheap grit-are you for real? How many gritters does bolton have, is it about 8? Hard to do all roads when loads of traffic already on road, how do you expect the grit wagon to get there, fly over the traffic. Anybody think the council ain't out needs their head examined. bwfc0210

5:50pm Sat 26 Jan 13

aardwolf says...

I was out having (safe) fun in the 4x4 in the snow last night. Gritting wagons were everywhere.
I was out having (safe) fun in the 4x4 in the snow last night. Gritting wagons were everywhere. aardwolf

6:00pm Sat 26 Jan 13

BWFC71 says...

Not mentioned in the BN but the MEN advise that only 8 (yes EIGHT) gritters were out for the whole of Greater Manchester, last night!!!!!

So aardwolf how could the gritters be everywhere???

Lets not forget teh facts here, though. We were advised 3 days ago, if not longer that teh snow was coming. All yesterday daytime - when teh traffic was light and not heavy, gave ample chance for the gritters to do a **** good job of teh main roads and ALL bus routes - but nothing was about - well not on the east side of Bolton, and the only gritter I saw was inside teh Bury boundary after 6pm - and funnily enough Bury's roads were in a better conditions to Boltons - I wonder why???
Not mentioned in the BN but the MEN advise that only 8 (yes EIGHT) gritters were out for the whole of Greater Manchester, last night!!!!! So aardwolf how could the gritters be everywhere??? Lets not forget teh facts here, though. We were advised 3 days ago, if not longer that teh snow was coming. All yesterday daytime - when teh traffic was light and not heavy, gave ample chance for the gritters to do a **** good job of teh main roads and ALL bus routes - but nothing was about - well not on the east side of Bolton, and the only gritter I saw was inside teh Bury boundary after 6pm - and funnily enough Bury's roads were in a better conditions to Boltons - I wonder why??? BWFC71

7:52pm Sat 26 Jan 13

mr.mark.c says...

Bolton has 10 gritters and I can assure you they was grafting, your 8 gritters was probably the highways agency and nothing to do with local councils ;)
Bolton has 10 gritters and I can assure you they was grafting, your 8 gritters was probably the highways agency and nothing to do with local councils ;) mr.mark.c

11:02am Sun 27 Jan 13

OutoftheEU says...

To be fair I think overall the council have done better this year than in recent years, but I agree with BWFC71 the decision not the make the Darcy lever buss route a priority considering the hill there is at best negligent.
To be fair I think overall the council have done better this year than in recent years, but I agree with BWFC71 the decision not the make the Darcy lever buss route a priority considering the hill there is at best negligent. OutoftheEU

9:52pm Sun 27 Jan 13

tracey67 says...

I think the comment from "grimtown" refers to the mountain rescue vehicle being hit by snowballs in brieghtmet - I saw this happening, about ten teenagers were right in the middle of the road, throwing the snowballs directly at the windscreen!

these kids are total idiots, if they had damaged the windscreen they would have taken one of only four vehicles off the road; if they had done that and needed an ambulance for one of their family later then they would have got exactly what they deserved - no ambulance and no-one to tow it out if it got stuck.

their parents should be ashamed and the youths should know better!
I think the comment from "grimtown" refers to the mountain rescue vehicle being hit by snowballs in brieghtmet - I saw this happening, about ten teenagers were right in the middle of the road, throwing the snowballs directly at the windscreen! these kids are total idiots, if they had damaged the windscreen they would have taken one of only four vehicles off the road; if they had done that and needed an ambulance for one of their family later then they would have got exactly what they deserved - no ambulance and no-one to tow it out if it got stuck. their parents should be ashamed and the youths should know better! tracey67

7:49am Mon 28 Jan 13

Crew69 says...

As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out.
As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out. Crew69

8:45am Mon 28 Jan 13

magic dragon says...

Crew69 wrote:
As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out.
Well said. The gritters deserve a medal. I had to visit my 94 yr old mother on Saturday to help her after a fall. It is a 10 min journey and I passed 3 gritters in that time. However the way some drivers had abandoned their vehicles and the idiots walking in the middle of the road with their backs to the traffic didn't help the gritters in their task. Incidentally the amount of snow that came down over a very short period made it impossible for the gritters to get ahead. Suggesting that if the grit had been laid (which it was) on Friday would have prevented the snow from causing chaos is a bit like saying that if I have my heating on in August, I won't be cold in winter.

Stop moaning and salute these hard working men. They have done a fantastic job taking everything into account and as I have previously stated if everyone did a bit where they live, the traffic would stand a better chance.
[quote][p][bold]Crew69[/bold] wrote: As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out.[/p][/quote]Well said. The gritters deserve a medal. I had to visit my 94 yr old mother on Saturday to help her after a fall. It is a 10 min journey and I passed 3 gritters in that time. However the way some drivers had abandoned their vehicles and the idiots walking in the middle of the road with their backs to the traffic didn't help the gritters in their task. Incidentally the amount of snow that came down over a very short period made it impossible for the gritters to get ahead. Suggesting that if the grit had been laid (which it was) on Friday would have prevented the snow from causing chaos is a bit like saying that if I have my heating on in August, I won't be cold in winter. Stop moaning and salute these hard working men. They have done a fantastic job taking everything into account and as I have previously stated if everyone did a bit where they live, the traffic would stand a better chance. magic dragon

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