Wednesday, January 23: Snow blog (From Bicester Advertiser)
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Wednesday, January 23: Snow blog
6:39am Monday 21st January 2013 in News
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4:28pm
Oxford City Council waste collections were made as normal today and it is hoped normal service will run tomorrow.
Residents covered by South Oxfordshire District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of White Horse District Council should leave their bins out to be collected as soon as possible following some disruption today.
Cherwell District Council was catching up on delayed collections today and there will be no brown bin collections in the north of the district this week.
4:24pm
Banbury Library will now close at 7pm (instead of 8pm), Charlbury Library will now close at 5pm (instead of 7pm)
— @OxfordshireCC 23 January 2013
11:41am
A busy road is blocked after a car left the road this morning.
Police were called to the A424 between Burford and the turning for Taynton at 10.24am.
The female driver escaped unscathed.
Police spokesman Craig Evry said the road was blocked by the accident and had not been closed by police.
11:40am
The A40 at Lewknor has reopened. The snow at the junction with the B4009 that closed the road this morning has been cleared.
10:26am
Firefighters have warned drivers to adjust to the driving conditions and give themselves time to react and reduce speed
10:25am
The A40 at Lewknor has been closed both ways due to snow and unsafe driving conditions at the junction with the B4009.
10:16am
children's mobile library north and south not running today. Mobile library service for the north not running. all other libraries open.
— @OxfordshireCC 23 January 2013
9:13am
West Oxfordshire District Council is urging people to leave their bins out and says they will be picked up as soon as possible
8:52am
Alkerton Recycling Centre will open at 10am today.
All others open as normal.
8:51am
Fourteen schools now affected by snow in Oxfordshire. For full updated list, see here.
8:27am
Nine schools reported closed or opening later due to snow or heating problems in Oxfordshire today. See full list, which is being continually updated, here.
8:24am
Update from Stagecoach:
“We are pleased to say that all our city services and the Oxford Tube are running normally today.
“There are a number of alterations to some of our country services due to the icy road conditions. Our team are continuing to check the road conditions throughout the day so we can start running buses on diverted routes as soon as possible.”
Route 215 - unable to run due to the snow and icy road conditions.
Route S3 - only able to run via the main road only
Route S4 - unable to serve Duns Tew and Middle Barton
• Route B2 - unable to serve Chatsworth Drive and Freemans Road & Molyneux Drive in Bodicote, buses are diverted via Broad Gap
• Route B8 - unable to serve Sinclair Avenue, Daimler Avenue, Longelands Way or Sussex Drive
• Route B5 - unable to serve Hastings Road
• Route 11 - unable to serve North Leigh
• Route 18 - unable to serve Heyford Close (Standlake)
• Route 19 - unable to serve Bablockhythe and Ducklington
• Route 64 - Swindon depot is reporting heavy snow in their area so delays can be expected.
• Route 200 - unable to serve Upper Wardington
• Route 213/214 - only able to run via Madley Park
• Route 215 - unable to serve Smiths Estate or Springfield Oval
• Route 233 - unable to serve the Sands, buses will be turning via the Post Office in Milton under Wychwood
• Route 242 - unable to serve North Leigh
• Route 488 - unable to serve Great Rollright
• Route X8 - running via Kingham Station and Chipping Norton only
• Route X9 - serving the main road only, we are unable to serve Ramsden village, Finsbrook and Chadlington.
8:20am
The Met Office has a yellow warning in place for ice and snow until noon today.
Light snow showers are forecast this morning, while this afternoon is expected to be overcast but dry.
There will be highs of 1c and lows of -4c today.
8:07am
Oxford Bus Company says it is running a normal service apart from:
City4/A/B/C - unable to serve Dean Court. 4C services will operate along the ring road and Eynsham Road, stopping outside Dean Court Estate facing towards Oxford.
Passengers on the X90 should expect longer travel time.
The company is also advising passengers on the airline service to allow extra time for their journey.
7:55am
@TheOxfordMail snow coming down loads here in Burford. I'm just outside in a tiny village and I've not been able to get out
— @jenny_taylor74 23 January 2013
7:55am
@TheOxfordMail A snowy John Radcliffe Hospital in the morning darkness #oxsnow http://t.co/m1oGcToG
— @producerpinnell 23 January 2013
7:08am
Chipping Norton School having delayed start - 9.30am.
The school says: "Buses will be an hour later picking up this morning. Students living in more remote places should try to get to the main pick up points in villages if they can. Please be patient and give more time for your journey into school than usual. Exams will start a little later than scheduled."
7:05am
Hook Norton is bad too, according to Richard Brain on Twitter
7:04am
Told hazardous driving conditions in Chipping Norton due to snow on A44 New Street around A361 West Street. #oxsnow
6:51am
Told a light dusting of snow out at Benson, snowing at Brize Norton plus
@TheOxfordMail snowing fairly heavily in Abingdon.
— @skennett 23 January 2013
6:37am
@TheOxfordMail All at Happy Little "Painty" Faces HQ are over the moon. Thank you,as promised here is Snow Badger :-) http://t.co/9l8JbRpN
— @HLPF_FacePaint 22 January 2013
6:28am
No schools have yet reported they are closed or partially closed due to the weather. But we'll keep on that for you via our School Closures page.
6:26am
8/10 Ox3. Big Flakes #uksnow #oxsnow
— @marknealweather 22 January 2013
Some of the biggest flakes of this cold spell so far. Well happy, finally some 50p sized! Woo #oxsnow
— @marknealweather 22 January 2013
6:25am
So here is the forecast from the Met Office as it stands:
First off take care on those roads and paths. It's been snowing overnight in many places and there was already that compacted ice so proceed with caution.
The city will wake to heavy snow but that should be it for today.
In Banbury it will be snowing on and off today. The Met Office is saying it will kick back in around that 9am slot and, after a break, be back mid-afternoon - so the school run should be fun.
The west of the county is likely to see the greatest outburst of snowmen today. Snow is forecast through past lunchtime and we've already had one alert from a reader via the Twitter machine it is snowing in Witney.
Down in the south there should be no snow now and you won't see any until Friday.
10:04pm
RT @OxfordshireCC: Gritters are out again tonight, but morning driving conditions likely to be difficult - especially on untreated roads. Please take care.
— @TheOxfordMail 22 January 2013
10:03pm
@TheOxfordMail snowing ALOT in Farigdon. Crazy. #uksnow
— @zoekaren 22 January 2013
8:44pm
Given the snow forecast, remember we'll be on the schools closures first thing tomorrow for you.
8:44pm
So the snow has kicked in. Here's the latest forecast from the Met Office.
Snow then rain tonight in Oxford tonight. But it will be snowing in the early hours through to mid-morning and a return mid-afternoon.
In the north it is forecast the snow will get heavier tonight. Again, you'll wake to snow in the morning.
Snow forecast all big tonight and getting heavier in the early hours in the west. It's likely to be snowing when you wake and through past the commute into work. Like Oxford you may see a return of the snow mid-afternoon.
In the south heavy snow later tonight and a bit in the early hours, but that may be it, says the Met Office.
And again, take care on your journey if it is by foot or wheels.
7:36pm
@TheOxfordMail big snow in Chipping Norton
— @RachelNiblock 22 January 2013
@TheOxfordMail snowing heavily between Botley and Eynsham #oxsnow
— @martin_liz 22 January 2013
@TheOxfordMail snow in Lechlade and laying!
— @sarahw4454 22 January 2013
@TheOxfordMail Snowing in Yarnton...OX5
— @KrystalKleenD 22 January 2013
7:35pm
@TheOxfordMail snow now reached ox27 #uksnow
— @tim_s84 22 January 2013
5:33pm
Readers are tweeting it is snowing out Witney and Bampton way.
5:01pm
S5 is now able to serve Station Rd in Launton, so normal route has now resumed. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
4:13pm
We're now able to serve Sunderland Drive, Glory Farm, on the S5 route. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
3:59pm
Didcot, Goring and Wheatley Libraries will be closing at 5pm today . They usually close at 7pm.
— @OxfordshireCC 22 January 2013
3:24pm
X8 will now be running from Kingham Station to Ascott & Shipton-u-Wychwood via Chipping Norton on the A361. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
3:23pm
Route X9 is now able to serve Finstock. Still unable to get to Ramsden. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
11:49am
Langord Village Community School to close at 1pm due to a boiler failure
11:43am
Met Office latest forecast for Oxford is now for light snow through the early hours tomorrow and heavy snow as we wake up.
Then light snow again through to lunchtime.
10:24am
All libraries open as normal today. However the Children's Mobile South & South East will not run.
— @OxfordshireCC 22 January 2013
10:24am
Route 215 is unable to serve Smiths Estate or Springfield Oval. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
10:23am
all household waste recycling centres in Oxfordshire open as normal today.
— @OxfordshireCC 22 January 2013
8:29am
The Ridgeway Primary School in Childrey and Cropredy Primary School are both part-closed this morning due to heating problems.
8:00am
Update from Oxford Bus Company:
All city services running a normal route apart from city4/A/B/C which is unable to serve Dean Court.
4C services will operate along the ring road and Eynsham Road, stopping outside Dean Court Estate facing towards Oxford.
A longer travel time is expected for the X90.
8:00am
Update from Stagecoach this morning:
“We are pleased to say that all our city services and the Oxford Tube are running normally today.
“There are a number of alterations to some of our country services due to the icy road conditions. Our team are continuing to check the road conditions throughout the day so we can start running buses on diverted routes as soon as possible.”
Route 215 - unable to run due to the icy conditions
Route S4 - unable to serve Duns Tew and Middle Barton
Route S3 - unable to serve Combe and unable to serve Cornish Road in Chipping Norton.
Route S5 - unable to serve Sunderland Drive (Glory Farm), buses will be running via Boston Road and unable to serve Station Road in Launton
Other services
Route 233 - buses are now running the normal route
Route B8 - unable to serve Sinclair Avenue, Daimler Avenue, Longelands Way or Sussex Drive
Route B5 - unable to serve Hastings Road
Route B2 - unable to serve Chatsworth Drive and Freemans Road in Bodicote, buses are diverted via Broad Gap
Route B1 - buses are now running the normal route
Route 488 - buses are now running the normal route
Route 200 - unable to serve Wardington
Route 213/214 - we are only able to run via Farmers Close and Madley Park
Route 11 - main road only, unable to serve North Leigh
Route 18 - unable to serve Heyford Close (Standlake)
Route X8 - running between Chipping Norton and Kingham Station only via the main road
Route X9 - unable to serve Finstock or Ramsden villages.
Route X15 - buses are now running the normal route
Route 242 - main road only, unable to serve New Yatt and North Leigh
Route 64 - main road only, unable to serve Kencot, Kingsdown and Broadshires
7:37am
Route 18 is unable to serve Heyford Close, Standlake. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
7:37am
S5 is unable to serve Sunderland Drive, Glory Farm & also Station Rd, Launton. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
7:36am
S3 service is serving Cornish Rd, but not the middle stop. Also unable to serve Combe. #oxsnow
— @Stagecoach_Ox 22 January 2013
6:55am
Good morning. Here's your forecast based on what the Met Office is saying today.
The overarching message is no snow today but still icy on those roads and pavements, so if your journey is by foot or on wheels take care.
Oxford is facing a chilly start to today, and a bit of snow tomorrow morning. That may be it for the snow this week but Thursday and Friday are shaping up as the coldest. In fact on Friday we're facing waking up to -5degC temperatures.
Rain is coming for Saturday but so are temperatures in the positive range. We may even hit 7degC in the evening, so it'll feel like time to get the sunblock out.
In the north there will be fog potentially for your trip into work so again drive with caution. Tomorrow you face waking up to -6degC and Wednesday is looking like -5degC for most of the day with a bit of snow in the afternoon.
Thursday and Friday are similar temperature wise and that rain kicks in Saturday.
Out in the west you could see snow late tonight and through to tomorrow lunchtime.
Wrap up Thursday night and Friday morning as you're facing those -5degC temperatures, with a bit of snow to end your working week as you struggle home.
South Oxfordshire looks like it gets the best of the weather this week. No snow forecast and the lowest the temperature will reach is -4degC on Thursday night and the early hours of Friday - oh our tropical south!
But again, while there's not a lot of snow forecast, still make those journeys this week with care because of the compacted ice hanging around.
5:54pm
OXFORD rail passengers face more misery tonight in the wake of several cancellations.
Signalling problems between London Paddington and Slough has reduced four operating outgoing lines to two.
Several Oxford-bound trains from London have been cancelled, and the 18:01 Oxford to London Paddington has also been cancelled.
Network Rail said its engineers were working to fix the problem but could not give a time it expected the issues to be fixed.
10:43am
Power cut affecting 1,200 homes in Wantage could be weather related, according to Southern Electric. Engineers are on site trying to fix the fault.
10:26am
Oxfordshire’s recycling centres have all re-opened following the bad weather.
Dix Pit at Stanton Harcourt, near Witney; Drayton centre, in Steventon Road, Abingdon; Ardley Fields Recycling near Bicester; Redbridge Recycling Centre in Old Abingdon Road, Oxford; Oakley Wood, in Old Icknield Way, Crowmarsh, near Wallingford; Stanford in the Vale recycling centre in Faringdon Road, Stanford in the Vale, and Alkerton Household Waste Recycling Centres in Stratford Road, Alkerton, near Banbury have all resumed their regular operating times.
10:22am
Cherwell District Council says:
There are no refuse crews out in the north of Cherwell today but there are crews out on Shakespeare Estate Bicester.
There will be no brown bin collections this week. We are concentrating on green and blue bins.
10:11am
All county council libraries are open this morning.
However North & City Mobiles not running.
All libraries will close at 5pm expect Oxford Central.
9:39am
Oxfordshire County Council says it is working to keep roads clear and gritted as much as possible and has been gritting council-owned car parks in West Oxfordshire.
West Oxfordshire District Council has deployed its street cleansing staff to assist the county council as much as possible with salting key pedestrian routes around town centres.
It says:
Waste and recycling collections - our crews are out collecting today (Monday) where roads are passable. However, garden waste collections are currently suspended so that these crews can be re-deployed to collect missed bins from Friday. If your bins were not collected, please leave them and any excess waste and recycling out, and we will collect as soon as possible.
Leisure Centres - open as normal.
District Council offices - open as normal.
Lowlands planning committee - taking place at 2pm in Woodgreen Offices, Witney today as scheduled.
9:16am
Stagecoach's update
"We are pleased to say that most services are running as normal. However, there are alterations to the service below:
- Route S4
- Unable to serve Duns Tew and Middle Barton
- Route S3
- We are unable to serve Combe
- We are unable to serve Cornish Road in Chipping Norton.
- Route S5
- We are unable to serve Sunderland Drive (Glory Farm)
- We are unable to serve Staion Road in Launton
- Other services
- Route 233 - serving Witney to Fulbrook only
- Route B8 - unable to serve Sinclair Avenue, Daimler Avenue, Longelands Way or Sussex Drive
- Route B5 - unable to serve Hastings Road
- Route B2 - unable to serve Chatworth Drive and Freemans Road in Bodicote, buses are diverted via Broadgap
- Route B1 - unable to serve Springfield Avenue and Horton View
- Route 488 - only serving the main road between Banbury and Chipping Norton and Hailey Road
- Route 200 - unable to serve Wardington
- Route 213/214 - We are running to/from the town centre via Hailey Road, Eastfield Road, Hailey Road, Woodstock Road, Jubilee Way and Oxford Hill only
- Route 11 - main road only, unable to serve North Leigh and Spareacre Lane
- Route 18 - we are unable to serve Heyford Close (Standlake), Northmoor and Bablockhythe
- Route 215 - main road only
- Route 233 - Witney to Fulbrook only
- Route X8 - running between Chipping Norton and Kingham Station only via the main road
- Route X9 - we are unable to serve Finstock or Ramsden villages.
- Route X15 - main road only
- Route 242 - main road only
- Route 64 - main road only"
8:47am
A MAN was rescued by firefighters after his lorry ended up in a ditch last night in icy conditions.
Firefighters from Bicester and Kidlington were called to the crash on the A34 northbound between Bletchingdon and Weston-on-the-Green at 11.01pm.
The driver was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.
The details of his injuries are not known this morning.
8:46am
FIVE people were taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital last night following a six vehicle smash in icy conditions.
Five cars and a broken down van were involved in the crash on the westbound slip road of junction 8 between the M40 and the A40 near Oxford.
Firefighters were called at 11.22pm and freed three people.
Their injuries are not said to be serious.
The van had broken down earlier in the evening.
Police closed the road while the emergency services dealt with the crash until 1.09am this morning.
8:33am
All waste recycling centres open. Alkerton and Ardley will open late at 10am. Approach roads icy so take care.
— @OxfordshireCC 21 January 2013
8:33am
our highways staff report that Oxfordshire's main routes are all behaving themselves so far this morning.
— @OxfordshireCC 21 January 2013
8:07am
Fifty six schools closed, part closed or opening later due to snow and ice this morning.
See here for full list.
7:39am
Oxford Bus Comapny's update:
city Services
city2
Normal route.
city3
Normal route.
city4/A/B/C
Currently unable to serve Dean Court. 4C services will operate along the ring road and Eynsham Road, stopping outside Dean Court Estate facing towards Oxford.
city5
Normal route.
city6
Normal route.
city8/9
Normal route.
city 35
Normal route.
city13
Normal route.
cityX13/X3/23
Normal route.
BROOKESbus
U1
Normal route.
U5
Normal route.
park&ride
300
Normal route.
400
Normal route.
500
Normal route.
X90
Normal route. Expect longer travel time.
the airline
All services running as normal, but please allow extra time for your journey.
7:32am
Gritters were out all night and they'll be out again today with sub zero temperatures forecast for some time yet.
— @OxfordshireCC 21 January 2013
7:29am
Stagecoach says S3 service is unable to serve Combe due to the road conditions. The rest of the route is running as normal.
7:11am
Oxford Brookes' campuses are open today but care advised when travelling to the sites and whilst there.
7:10am
Lord Williams's School shut today and Spires having late start, at 9.15am amongst the new closures on our Schools Closures page
7:01am
However reader Ema Gaul is saying it is snowing in Headington!!
6:52am
Some good news on the weather forecast but that doesn't mean taking it easy on the roads. Compacted snow annd ice around so drive carefully in to work and school today.
No snow forecast for the city today or tomorrow. Light snow may return early Wednesday, says the Met Office. None on Thursday but some Friday morning.
In the north the Met Office is saying no snow until Friday morning.
Out west it is similar. No snow forecast today or tomorrow but some throughout Wednesday morning and Friday morning.
And in the south nothing forecast today or tomorrow, but snow due to return in the early hours of Wednesday - althouugh that'll be it for the week, says the forecasters at the Met Office.
6:44am
Remember to send in your pictures of the snow for our online galleries. There are now three because of the response we have had.
And remember as well that we want you to vote for them using the Rate This function to pick the best one.
Click through for the
6:41am
Good morning. New snow blog kicking off for Monday morning.
Already a few schools have reported they will be closed today, so check out oour Schools Closures page. It will be constantly updated as we gget the information in. Remember too keep an eye on it through to lunchtime as on Friday quite a few schools were open for the morning but closed in the affternooon when the snow began to kick in.
