FURTHER snowfall brought more mayhem to Huddersfield.
Commuters were once again caught up in Arctic conditions yesterday as another 3cm of snow hit the town.
Buses to Holmfirth, Meltham, Stocksmoor and Golcar were among those cancelled as driving conditions worsened during the morning rush-hour.
In Meltham, two men had a lucky escape when their van overturned on Acre Lane, leaving the road blocked.
And a total of 33 schools were forced to close as rural areas were once again worst hit by blizzards.
Across Kirklees, an army of Council gritters helped alleviate problems by tackling major routes from dawn.
Roads leading to the town centre and motorways were kept snow-free with a team of gritting wagons and snow ploughs.
Mark Dobson, Kirklees Council’s unit manager for street care, urged the public to be patient as teams battled to reach other roads.
He said: “It is very difficult for the travelling public because they see roads not being gritted and don’t know what we are doing.
“We understand how everyone gets frustrated when the car they are driving is skidding.
“But please be reassured, we are trying our best.
“Our focus is the main arterial roads between the town centre and motorways.
“The high activity all week has meant we have been unable to make a serious impact on other roads and are unlikely to while snow continues.
“We would ask people to be patient and plan their journeys.”
While side roads remain blocked with frozen snow, many commuters have been choosing to walk or take the bus.
First – which runs services across Huddersfield – said buses appeared busier than usual this week, although official figures were not yet in.
A spokeswoman said: “It may be busier or it might be that earlier buses have missed or been delayed.
“We have had to stop some services because we cannot afford to put our drivers under any pressure.
“It has been a judgement call really, depending on the weather.”
Across Kirklees, other services were forced to give-in to the snow.
The Council’s mobile library service was halted for the rest of the week due to bad weather.
Staff were concentrating their efforts on delivering to the housebound, disabled or elderly customers.
Some had walked to reach those in the worst-hit areas.
Huddersfield Royal Infirmary reported an increase in people using the accident and emergency department with injuries caused by bad weather such as sprains and fractures.
Out-patient clinics and theatre lists were running as normal.
Helen Thomson, director of nursing for the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust said:
“We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that there is minimum disruption for our patients, staff and visitors. The response from our staff in getting to and from work has been absolutely fantastic, and I would like to thank everyone for their efforts.”
