Postman dies as snow sweeps chaos across country

PETER VICTOR

Blizzard conditions caused chaos on the roads in Scotland and Wales yesterday with drifts up to 12 inches deep, leading to at least one death, and snow is expected to spread across Britain today.

Slippery roads and poor visibility made driving hazardous north of the border and mountain passes in Scotland and Wales have been closed.

A postman was killed in a road crash in heavy snow as blizzards swept across parts of Wales. Andrew John, 30, died in the crash between his van and a four-wheel-drive jeep on the A40 near Haverfordwest, Dyfed, as up to eight inches of snow fell across the region.

The worst-affected region was Dumfries and Galloway, where AA Roadwatch described the roads as "extremely treacherous" and police have advised motorists to make only journeys that are necessary.

More than 100 Scottish schools were closed because of the deteriorating weather. In South Wales, thousands of pupils were sent home early as blizzards swept the region.

Mid-Glamorgan was reported to be worst affected, with snow shutting all schools in the Rhondda Valley. By midday yesterday, several roads in the Scottish Grampian mountains, the Horseshoe Pass in Clwyd, and the Rhigos, Bwlch, Maerdy and Llanwonno mountain roads in Mid-Glamorgan were impassible. More routes across Scotland, Wales and Cumbria were expected to be cut off last night as conditions worsened during the evening. Minor roads throughout the North and West and the Midlands became icy, making driving very difficult. Many rural roads in parts of Dyfed, Powys and Clwyd were also hit by snow piled up by strong winds.

Weathermen warned that up to eight inches of snow on high ground was expected overnight. A London Weather Centre forecaster said: "With strong southerly and south-easterly winds, there will be drifting and blizzard conditions in the mountains. The snow is going to move east across almost all of England and Wales, though it may not reach East Anglia. Coastal areas in the South and West will see rain rather than snow. "It will not be particularly cold - around freezing in most places - but there will be strong winds, making it feel a lot colder than it is," the forecaster said.

While conditions will be wintry for the rest of the week, he predicted that the storms are expected to have blown themselves out by today, after which will be no more than a few sleet and snow flurries.