Traffic at a standstill as Bolton grinds to a halt in the snow (From This Is Lancashire)

Traffic at a standstill as Bolton grinds to a halt in the snow

4:20pm Friday 25th January 2013 in News

Heavy snow has thrown a white blanket over Bolton, causing chaos on the roads as drivers appear to have been unprepared despite warnings throughout the day.

The snow had been falling lightly in parts of Bolton for much of the afternoon but began to get heavier around 4pm, sticking quickly.

Although gritters have been out in force, it has not helped much with tailbacks reported across the borough.

Reports are also coming in across Bolton on social media of up to seven inches of snow on high ground in the borough.

It is likely to cause more disruption for travel networks and people driving throughout the night and into tomorrow.

One motorist in the town centre told us: "It is chaos. There are jams everywhere. It's very difficult to walk because the pavements in a lot of places haven't been gritted but the roads are terrible. They have been gritted but this is too thick."

Maytree travel was forced to suspend all of its services after initially running the services will alterations.

Traffic backed up on the M61 following a broken down lorry and the closure of lanes one and two due to snow at around 5.30pm at J8 northbound. Drivers were queuing back to J6 in Horwich.

It took rush hour commuters more than an hour to travel from the town centre to Hunger Hill.

See the very latest weather forecast

Keep up to date with the state of the roads via our traffic news

As temperatures rise tomorrow, weather experts have warned of the risk of flooding when there is a rapid thaw of the built-up snow and ice.

Temperatures will steadily rise from Saturday to an average of 4C followed by wet and windy weather next week.

Chris Burton, a forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: " A band of heavy rain will hit the west of the UK and move across eastwards throughout the day, quickly turning to snow. The greatest risk of heavy snow will Scotland, northern England, the Midlands and eastern parts of England which will widely see up to four inches, and up to an inch in the south."

"There is a localised flooding risk, particularly in Wales and the South West as heavy rain falls and warmer temperatures cause a rapid melt of the snow and ice which has built up in the last few weeks."

The Environment Agency has warned of the risk of minor localised flooding in some areas due to the rapid thaw. Flood risk manager Phil Rothwell said: "A combination of rain and snow melt over the weekend will increase the risk of flooding, especially in south west England, Wales, the West Midlands and northern England. We are closely monitoring the situation and have teams ready to respond to any potential flooding."

What is the weather like where you are? Tweet using #boltonsnow

This Is Lancashire has no responsibility or control over the content on external blogging sites, but you can contact us if you have a complaint.

Comments(36)

boltonnut says...
11:59am Fri 25 Jan 13

BN is pedicting heavy snow today,why then is the BN rectangular weather icon on the front page calling for 0% snow fall???????

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Albinosupport says...
12:11pm Fri 25 Jan 13

I see the Bolton News weather again is wrong, only 0% chance of snow today - er com on guys look out of the window - its snowing and forcast some 3 days agon on the TV.

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boltonnut says...
12:55pm Fri 25 Jan 13

The BN staff have now up dated to 100% chance of snow,they must have read the comments or happened to gaze out the window.I must make one more observance before I depart,it still says chance of snow,if it is now snowing that means it is a certainty and not just a chance??????

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leigh81 says...
2:25pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Lets create a drama and panic by reporting snow - that way people will rush into the supermarkets/petrol stations etc and spend all their money !!! If it snows it snows, theres a lot worse going on in the town, go and find it !!

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Browny91 says...
2:31pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Wheres this heavy snow gone?

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zoomzam says...
3:43pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Its 345pm and where is the snow?????

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mr.mark.c says...
5:16pm Fri 25 Jan 13

zoomzam wrote:
Its 345pm and where is the snow?????

Look through your window

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chris25 says...
6:32pm Fri 25 Jan 13

quick go and get your bread and milk

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mr.mark.c says...
6:34pm Fri 25 Jan 13

chris25 wrote:
quick go and get your bread and milk

Dont forget the eggs, Its the end of the world ;)

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steveG says...
6:39pm Fri 25 Jan 13

If only the weathermen were right more often,people might listen.

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mr.mark.c says...
6:51pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Maybe folks should learn how to drive and expect snow in winter.

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EllenSpeaks says...
8:40pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Seriously the news team reporting for the BN are so boring... yes it has been snowing, seriously is this news! It will have f***ing melted by tomorrow morning!

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Rememberscarborough says...
10:30pm Fri 25 Jan 13

EllenSpeaks wrote:
Seriously the news team reporting for the BN are so boring... yes it has been snowing, seriously is this news! It will have f***ing melted by tomorrow morning!

Then we'll have floods!! Major panic at the moment is the satelite telly signal has gone down. Don't tell me I'm going to have to talk to the missus.....

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BWFC71 says...
10:43pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Rememberscarborough wrote:

EllenSpeaks wrote:
Seriously the news team reporting for the BN are so boring... yes it has been snowing, seriously is this news! It will have f***ing melted by tomorrow morning!
Then we'll have floods!! Major panic at the moment is the satelite telly signal has gone down. Don't tell me I'm going to have to talk to the missus.....

Just knock the snow off the dish......... everyone is doing the same round here!

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hazdbfs says...
11:17pm Fri 25 Jan 13

Gritters have been out in force???? Are you having a laugh???the main roads in bolton are an absolute disgrace.

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nickw2k4 says...
12:12am Sat 26 Jan 13

So where are the gritters. I'm on Green Lane, a main road close to the hospital, which you would expect to be a priority gritting route. There has been just 1 gritting lorry since the snow started at 4.30pm - at 11.15! Went down just 1 side, (usually does up and down when only a light frost is forecast) The road is virtually impassable. So why is it that time after time, after time, Bolton's gritting team is found to be not fit for purpose.

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Misnomer says...
12:42am Sat 26 Jan 13

00:05 left junction 6 of M61 heading towards Blackrod on A6. No ploughing been done and no sign of any plough out, absolutely terrible conditions. Come on guys this is the A6 not a little country lane!

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Reality50 says...
1:33am Sat 26 Jan 13

Where are the gritters? both Farnworth and Westhoughton completely ignored. Longcauseway and Albert Road both main roads in Farnworth haven't been gritted at all today.

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Reality50 says...
1:37am Sat 26 Jan 13

Why aren't the BN questioning why gritting hasn't been done on key routes? for the first time I can ever remember the council have failed to even attempt to grit key main artery roads in the town. It is an utter disgrace and outrage. Car stuck earlier attempting to get up Plodder Lane.

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hazdbfs says...
8:56am Sat 26 Jan 13

I was out last night, travelling from swinton to Westhoughton. From the A673 near Toys R Us, cars were just stuck, unable to get up the hill. As we got up the hill, thinking the roads would be clearer, there were just cars everywhere. You couldn't see the road markings at all. Hunger Hill was just full of people trying to move unsuccessfully. No way had those roads been gritted. So BN.... Please don't tell us 'the gritters had been out in force'.

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EllenSpeaks says...
10:16am Sat 26 Jan 13

Rememberscarborough wrote:

EllenSpeaks wrote:
Seriously the news team reporting for the BN are so boring... yes it has been snowing, seriously is this news! It will have f***ing melted by tomorrow morning!
Then we'll have floods!! Major panic at the moment is the satelite telly signal has gone down. Don't tell me I'm going to have to talk to the missus.....

Ha Ha, that was my dad's complaint as well!

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EllenSpeaks says...
10:18am Sat 26 Jan 13

nickw2k4 wrote:
So where are the gritters. I'm on Green Lane, a main road close to the hospital, which you would expect to be a priority gritting route. There has been just 1 gritting lorry since the snow started at 4.30pm - at 11.15! Went down just 1 side, (usually does up and down when only a light frost is forecast) The road is virtually impassable. So why is it that time after time, after time, Bolton's gritting team is found to be not fit for purpose.

Strange they have not done Green Lane, when both Bradford Road and Crescent Road were gritted several times yesterday, of course both major routes for emergency ambulances!

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EllenSpeaks says...
10:19am Sat 26 Jan 13

The BN staff are out having fun, throwing snowballs and making Ben the snowman in the town centre! :p

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boltonnut says...
11:43am Sat 26 Jan 13

I know where the gritter where,I saw two on councillor Morris' street.

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Reality50 says...
1:32pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Can the gritting department explain why Farnworth wasn't gritted yesterday?????

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judyben says...
4:00pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Does Bolton even have a snowplough?

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mr.mark.c says...
4:01pm Sat 26 Jan 13

No amount of grit will stop heavy snow, that is why the M6 ground to a halt.

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Lancashire always says...
4:43pm Sat 26 Jan 13

A great big thank you to all those heroes who pushed stuck cars last night i was stuck on Padbury way behind a white van that i had pushed when he got stuck up harwood i was working and had to walk to some of my clients ( care worker folks the little old dears need to be assisted to bed ) which whilst it as a horrible night was actually very nice to walk in` by the way cheers to the chap that beeped at me to get out of his way ! The chaps at the top of Padbury way were there when i started out and still there when i was on my way home Amazing yes folks we do have folks that still care.Off out now for a snowball fight ta ta.

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Browny91 says...
4:51pm Sat 26 Jan 13

boltonnut wrote:
I know where the gritter where,I saw two on councillor Morris' street.

I thought it was 3?

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bwfc0210 says...
5:48pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Perhaps bolton council could get helicopters to fly over the stuck traffic and drop grit from on high? How do you expect a grit vehicle to get through backed up traffic? Lets be honest, the snow fell very quick and was very deep in just an hour or 2, not enough time to get gritters out and do roads before it was thick

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davoovad says...
8:12pm Sat 26 Jan 13

hazdbfs wrote:
Gritters have been out in force???? Are you having a laugh???the main roads in bolton are an absolute disgrace.

There were people on here praising the council workers last week, you spoke too soon, what a joke...

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mr.mark.c says...
8:27pm Sat 26 Jan 13

Some people need to google 'How rock salt works'
Before they start wagging there fingers at the council.

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Crew69 says...
9:52am Mon 28 Jan 13

As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out.
As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out. Crew69

As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out. As a wife of one of the gritters I can assure you that they have worked extremely hard in adverse weather conditions. All last week they were out every single night whilst you were all in bed just to keep the roads safe for all of you idiots who have nothing better to do with your time than slag them off. On Friday they were out from mid afternoon until 11pm when the next shift took over to plough through the night and then again at 7am the secondary shift took over to grit through Saturday after only finishing work at 11pm. Not quite sure how you expect the gritters to get through all the traffic when everything is at a standstill because some drivers dont know how to drive in the snow but feel it necessary to venture out to their local supermarket to stock up on 10 pints of milk and a dozen loafs just in case. The grit takes a while to work as it needs trafficing once it has gone done and with so much snow falling in such a small space of time it is near impossible to keep the roads clear straight away. This is why they worked 24/7 all last week and this weekend to keep the roads safe for the public to use if their journeys are necessary. I would say that all you moaners need to take a step back and give some praise where it is due rather than slagging them off year in year out. Crew69 Crew69

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Crew69 says...
9:58am Mon 28 Jan 13

davoovad wrote:

hazdbfs wrote: Gritters have been out in force???? Are you having a laugh???the main roads in bolton are an absolute disgrace.
There were people on here praising the council workers last week, you spoke too soon, what a joke...

Yes they have been out 24/7 all last week and weekend both primary and secondary shifts to try and keep the roads safe for idiots like you. Once grit is put down it needs trafficing to work, so when snow falls that fast and thick it is almost impossible to keep every one of the 317 miles of the Bolton area clear of snow, that is why they worked all day and ploughed all through the night and following day to clear the main roads.

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colournature says...
9:25pm Mon 28 Jan 13

in the 1800s people went to work in the coal mines - they walked in there and back in clogs all over little Hulton, Atherton, Deane in poor clothing. and tehy would walk miles to work ,children went to school in the snow , there was no central heating and so did the teachers .

we had snow in the cave days as well and in the middle ages - its nothing new - so stop complaingi

people these days are such wussies !!

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mr.mark.c says...
9:34pm Mon 28 Jan 13

colournature wrote:
in the 1800s people went to work in the coal mines - they walked in there and back in clogs all over little Hulton, Atherton, Deane in poor clothing. and tehy would walk miles to work ,children went to school in the snow , there was no central heating and so did the teachers .

we had snow in the cave days as well and in the middle ages - its nothing new - so stop complaingi

people these days are such wussies !!

And died in there 40's
Welcome to the 21'st century :)

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