Snow and ice warning for Cambridgeshire follows in wake of Storm Bella and flooding
The Met Office has issued a snow and ice warning for the East of England, including Cambridgeshire.
It warns that between midnight and 6pm on Monday December 28 “rain may turn to snow, which along with widespread ice, will lead to the potential for some disruption to travel and utilities”.
Travellers can expect longer journey times by road, bus and train services, and pavements, cycle paths and untreated roads could be slippery.
Its yellow warning covers a large swathe of the country.
It forecasts: “An area of rain is likely to move south through Sunday night and Monday across parts of England and Wales.
“There is the potential for this to turn to snow for a time. There is a lot of uncertainty in where snow develops with some areas seeing little or no accumulations.
“However, there is a very low likelihood of 1-3cm, and locally 5-10cm falling in a few places, particularly over higher ground of Wales above 200 metres.
“As well as snow, widespread ice may also be an issue, especially where treatment has been washed off road surfaces.”
The snow and ice warning comes in the wake of Storm Bella, which brought heavy rain and high winds to much of the country.
The top wind speed was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight where it reached 106mph overnight on Saturday. Two threat to life flood warnings remain in place in Northamptonshire.
Heavy rain also led to flooding in parts of Cambridgeshire, ruining Christmas for a number of families.
Households in Farthing Lane, off Needingworth Road in St Ives, were flooded on Christmas Eve when the Great River Ouse burst its banks.
And on December 22-23, significant rainfall cause major issues across Huntingdonshire.
Area commander Simon Newton, of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, said on December 23: “We’ve seen widespread flooding across the county. Residents in parts of Ramsey, Alconbury, Earith and Broughton have had to leave their homes due to the severity, along with a number of residents elsewhere in the county.
“Crews worked overnight to assist those stuck in their homes as a result of flooding, and we’ve assisted those who’ve become stranded in vehicles in flood water. We’ve also been working to pump water out of areas worst affected.
“We’ve been working closely with partners and have been supporting operations with regular tactical and strategic co-ordination meetings that have been taking place throughout the night. The situation was declared a major incident yesterday evening.
“Since the first call came in at around 1pm, our Combined Fire Control have received over 400 calls, and we have attended many incidents.
“We are continuing to respond to flood related incidents and ensure affected communities are safe.
“Residents are reminded to keep out of flood water and only travel if essential. We’d encourage everyone to sign up for their local flood alerts, and follow the advice about what to do if you are affected by flooding.
“Our thoughts are with all those who’ve been affected by the flooding.”
A rest centre was set up before Christmas at One Leisure in Huntingdon for any residents forced to leave their homes due to flooding.
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