Battling the white stuff as snow hits

Jan 20 2009 by Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Battling the white stuff as snow hits

GRITTING crews battled to keep Huddersfield on the move last night as heavy snow hit parts of the town.

Buses were unable to reach several areas in the Colne Valley and a number of roads were shut as snow swept in late in the afternoon.

It meant schoolchildren and commuters faced a walk home.

But elsewhere in the town, there was no sign of the snow which had been forecast.

Highways officials had expected the snow to arrive on Sunday night but it was 24 hours later that it hit Huddersfield.

Police closed roads, including the A6024 Holme Moss route, the A635 Greenfield route and the A58 Rochdale Road at Ripponden as conditions worsened in less than an hour.

High winds caused drifts of several inches in some areas and roads in areas including Bolster Moor, Wilberlee and Slaithwaite were left impassable.