'One flake of snow and Cornwall comes to a complete halt'

Claire Elliott & Cornwall Live readers
·3-min read
-Credit: (Image: James McInnes)
-Credit: (Image: James McInnes)


Cornwall Live readers have been discussing the news that snow is expected yet again in the UK. Parts of Britain have recently found themselves under a blanket of snow and reports quickly emerged about closed schools, cancelled trains, and rush hour mayhem. Amidst the gripes that the nation crumbles too easily under a bit of the white stuff, one has to ponder whether recollections of sturdier resilience in the "good old days" are truly accurate.

It's only natural for a level of caution over snow to be exercised by councils, transport services, forecasters, and various organisations. Snow and ice can transform roads into danger zones, meaning extra care from motorists is needed due to slippery surfaces and the need for greater stopping distances.

Schools don't escape unscathed either. Travel issues pose a challenge in getting staff and students to school safely and punctually, made worse by the necessity to provide a warm building with running water—amenities threatened when pipes freeze or burst.

READ MORE: Cornwall Air Ambulance album beats Coldplay in UK charts

READ MORE: The pretty market town that's one of cheapest in Cornwall - with homes at £200k

Unlike nations who are used to harsh winters like Finland or Canada, the UK doesn't invest huge amounts of money into the equipment to deal with large amounts of snow as it isn't needed that often.

Nevertheless, there's an older generation of Brits who nostalgically recount tales of past decades' snowy winters when it seemingly took more than a mere cold snap to disrupt daily life. To these seasoned individuals, today's Britain might appear to surrender to snowy conditions far too swiftly, making mountains out of molehills at the first sign of a snowflake.

Commenter Lyn Rowland says: “In our defence we don't get it often enough to prepare for it. We sent a photo to our Swedish friends who live near the arctic circle when we had snow and even the bus couldn't get up our hill!”

Ems Roberts thinks: “Only one flake and Cornwall comes to a complete halt. I appreciate some places in Cornwall do have it bad, but do we really have to panic?”

Helen Gregorie agrees: “When living up North, the country didn't grind to a halt, maybe some late starts to allow for roads to be cleared. Schools only closed if the boilers broke down and school couldn't be heated. We are just not prepared now as it doesn't happen often enough and people are not used to driving in it.”

David Buxton points out: “Drivers have a responsibility too, snow tyres, chains, 4 x4's that they know how to drive, carry salt, blankets, water, food. Only go out on really essential journeys. It's ill prepared people that block the roads and prevent clear passage.”

Nigel Kotula suggests: “I suppose that’s where the word ‘snowflakes’ comes from. Today people give up too quickly. Society seems to over react with warnings etc. I think social media is much to blame for how this generation has become. You’ve got to pull your socks up and get on with life, no matter what’s chucked at you.”

Ste Robinson writes: “We don’t panic up here in the North East of England, but everyone below Yorkshire just can’t cope!”

How do you cope with snow in your area? Does everything grind to a halt or do you just get on with it? Have your say in our comments section.

Latest stories

  • Woman goes to Tenerife for winter sun but holiday takes unexpected turn

    Georgia, known as @georgiasjournal on TikTok, said she "needs answers" after her recent holiday to Tenerife went drastically wrong. It was totally different to what she expected

  • I know where in landfill my missing £600m fortune is, computer expert tells court

    A father seeking to recover a lost hard drive from a landfill site containing an apparent £600 million Bitcoin fortune has told a court he knows where to look.

  • Watch as Florida gator drags massive python across pond

    Large Burmese pythons are known to eat alligators in Florida’s Everglades region. But sometimes the opposite is true. The accompanying footage, captured Nov. 28, shows a large gator swimming across a pond with a giant python in its

  • Forecasters issue yellow warning for heavy rain and wind during the weekend

    People are being advised of a ‘danger to life’ from flying debris as well as from large waves at the coast.

  • Met Office map shows where snow could fall TODAY as UK braced for chilly weather

    Wintry conditions will return for some Brits

  • 'Wet and windy' weather to sweep UK this week after cold spell, Met Office says

    Britons can expect milder temperatures this week, although the Met Office warns low pressure will bring a "disruptive" period of wind and rain.

  • What we know about the Christmas weather forecast

    Spoiler: it looks pretty grim for most of the UK.

  • Met Office issues two weather warnings for Greater Manchester

    Conditions could be wild in the next few days

  • Work begins on one of world's biggest batteries in Cardiff, creating 1,200 jobs

    Plans for the energy park, along with an eight-storey data centre, were approved by Cardiff Council's planning committee in October, 2024

  • UK tourists visiting Canary Islands issued warning over '70kmh winds'

    Yellow and amber weather warnings are in place across Spain

  • Why flooding caused so much damage at a seaside Carmarthenshire village

    An 80-page report has examined floods which happened in quick succession last winter

  • Deepest container ship to visit UK docks at Port of Felixstowe

    MSC Elenoire, the deepest draught vessel to visit the UK, arrived at the Port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

  • Meet the aging hunters battling bears in rural Japan

    STORY: In rural Japan a gunshot rings out. A bear slumps in a cage."This brown bear got too close to a human community. It wasn't right here but over that way in the middle of the town and on the roads close by. In this kind of situation, we have no choice other than to trap them." Bears are making their way closer to homes, and putting people’s lives at risk. Keeping the townspeople safe often falls on the shoulders of a dwindling band of aging hunters, like 75-year-old Haruo Ikegami. "I'm often the first one that gets there when they're caught like this, and I always say, 'oh come on, you're already in there?' I can't bear it."Once a common sight among the trees, hunters like Ikegami are now older, and fewer in number than before. :: RUNNING OUT OF TIMEJapan’s population is both aging and shrinking.As of 2020, about 60% of gun license-holders, like Ikegami, are over 60. And in areas where bears roam, some residents wonder what will happen when these hunters can no longer do their job. In the town of Naie, Tatsuhito Yamagishi has accused the local government of taking hunters for granted."They say we should train new hunters, but there's nothing specific on how we should do this. Who's going to hold the training sessions and the workshops? In a few years' time when we (hunters) are all over 70 years old, will there even be anybody left who could teach people how to hunt bears, even if they wanted to?"Naie’s local government declined to comment on the dispute with Yamagishi, but said officials were taking steps to address the bear problem.Japan’s environment ministry says it subsidizes local governments to train officials and conduct bear drills.But the country’s reliance on recreational bear hunters could become unsustainable, according to the hunters themselves, officials, residents and experts Reuters spoke to. :: BOLDER BEARSBoth black and brown bears’ habitats have been expanding, in part because of depopulation in rural areas, experts say.Some believe this, and less managed farmland, may be making bears more daring.And the animals appear to be raising cubs closer to human settlements, causing them to fear people less than before.All this has contributed to an increase in human-bear incidents.In the twelve months through March 2024, 219 people were attacked. Six fatally. More than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry.84-year-old Katsuo Harada carries scars from over 20 years ago, when a bear sank its teeth into his skull.'It was like it was gnawing on a raw radish, scraping and crunching. I passed out at the sound and I don't know what happened beyond that."Harada is now part of a group that helps keep problematic wildlife at bay."I feel that I have to protect the people living here. Whenever I set a trap, you saw today there are four locations, I'm driven forwards by the thought that if I hadn't laid the traps, somebody could have been killed." One common way to trap bears is by using a large cage with bait, like a deer carcass, salmon or honey. The trap is designed so that the creature steps on a metal plate when it goes near the bait, triggering the door to close. The local authorities then make a call on what to do with the animal and may involve licensed hunters to kill it. The trapped bear is looked after and fed until it is culled.As an alternative solution, some companies are turning to technology.This “Monster Wolf” robot growls, barks and emits threats. Costing about $2,500, it is triggered by a sensor and powered by solar energy.It has shown some success, but Yamagishi explains that it takes years for humans to learn how to trap bears and insists their expertise will remain indispensable. :: DWINDLING FRONT LINEResponding to the increase in attacks, the Japanese government this year proposed relaxing rules around gun use to make it easier to shoot bears in urban areas.But hunters say it’s hard to find new recruits because the job is expensive, unappealing, and exhausting.Some get 8,000 yen, or about $50 from local governments for a bear cull. This might cover expenses and fuel, Ikegami says, but little else. A system is needed, they suggest, where hunters are paid enough to support a family. Because if the younger generation doesn’t take up the torch, the last line of defence will soon be gone.

  • 'Water emergency' warning on two Canary Islands popular with UK tourists

    'Water emergencies' have been extended in two holiday hotspots

  • Strong winds and heavy rain set to batter Essex as 39-hour weather warning issued

    Strong winds and heavy rain are set to batter Essex this week as the Met Office has issued 39-hour weather warning

  • Pensioners given air fryers to help reduce bills after winter fuel payments cut

    Pensioners in North Lincolnshire are to be given free air fryers or slow cookers to help them reduce energy bills after the loss of winter fuel payments, the area’s council has said.

  • Merthyr sinkhole update as new dam built and 24-hour security guards in place

    Almost 30 homes were evacuated from a cul-de-sac in Merthyr Tydfil on Sunday after a 50ft deep sinkhole appeared in the road

  • Scientists puzzled by asteroids that hit Earth 35 million years ago and seemingly left no climate impacts

    UK scientists used hundreds of tiny fossils that lived in the sea at the time to understand climate shifts tens of millions of years ago

  • Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives

    Standing on the rooftop of a 16-storey residential apartment building in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, Valerii Pyndyk pointed to several rows of solar panels. Pyndyk hopes the installation - one of the first of its kind by residents in Kyiv - will help about 1,000 families living in the building get through what could prove Ukraine's most difficult winter since the start of Russia's invasion. The two previous winters of the war were already challenging, but Russia has now intensified its attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with at least 11 major missile and drone strikes since March.

  • Devastating landslide destroys parking lot amid severe flooding in Thailand

    Striking footage from Betong district in Thailand's Yala province captured the aftermath of a terrifying landslide that cascaded down a mountainside and destroyed the parking lot of an office building. The asphalt was forced into the air up to 16 feet in places, causing widespread damage to vehicles and the building.