Drivers on 'impassable' snow-hit road in West Country take shelter

Paul Greaves
·2-min read
Drivers stuck on the A3052 near Exeter
-Credit: (Image: User submission)


Drivers on a major A-road in the West Country have been taking shelter from the dangerous conditions at an equestrian centre. The Hidden Oak on the Sidmouth-bound road has opened its doors and is offering drinks and cake.

Photos and video show vehicles at a standstill on the A3052 and motorists out of their cars. One person said: "Hidden Oak letting stranded people come in for shelter drinks and cake even without power."

Devon has been hit by a large deposit of snowfall on Thursday with multiple road closures, train cancellations and schools shut. There are also multiple traffic incidents reported.

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Drivers stuck on the A3052 near Exeter
Drivers stuck on the A3052 near Exeter -Credit:User submission

Trees have come down in several places. The traffic site Inrix says the A3052 is "impassable" due to snow between Newton Poppleford, the Hidden Oak and Farringdon.

"It says: "Delays and road is impassable due to snow on A3052 in both directions from B3178 Exmouth Road (Newton Poppleford) to Exeter Airport turn off (Farringdon)."

Photos show cars and buses struggling to make any progress on the road. A weather ice warning predicts expected temperatures to drop below freezing in many areas overnight, reports Devon Live.

Drivers stuck on the A3052 near Exeter
Drivers stuck on the A3052 near Exeter -Credit:User submission

The Met Office says: "Icy stretches are expected to form on untreated surfaces during Thursday evening and overnight into Friday morning as temperatures drop below freezing."

Today, 89 schools are shut in Devon on Thursday, 18 in Dorset and 60 in Cornwall, while in Wales around 10 are closed in Conwy, 18 in Denbighshire and two in Wrexham.

Forecasters said Storm Bert will reach the UK on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and snow, together with strong winds to large swathes of the country. Ahead of the storm, wintry showers will continue to impact parts of the UK on Thursday and Friday, particularly exposed areas in the north.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: “Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.

“Heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK, will also bring impacts for some with a number of warnings in place. We expect 50-75mm of rainfall quite widely within the warning areas, but in excess of 100mm is possible over high ground in parts of Wales and south-west England.

“In addition, rapid melting of lying snow over the weekend and periods of strong winds are likely to exacerbate impacts and bring the potential for travel disruption, as well as flooding for some.”

Yellow warnings for rain have been issued from Saturday to Sunday morning in south-west England and Wales.

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