Traders suffer as snow falls (From Witney Gazette)

Traders suffer as snow falls

9:50am Wednesday 22nd December 2010 in News By Tom Jennings

SNOW brought chaos to West Oxfordshire over the last weekend, and forecasters are warning there could be more to come.

Many of the outlying roads have been particularly badly hit, with some impassable over the weekend. Businesses were worst affected by this, with traders calling it a “disaster”.

Temperatures on Sunday morning reached a low of -13°C at Brize Norton, with 14cm of snow.

Yesterday, temperatures warmed to 2.5°C, but the Met Office has warned more bad weather is on its way.

Friday morning could see temperatures of -11°C, while Christmas Day and Boxing Day mornings could see -12°C and -13°C, respectively.

Forecaster Robin Thwaytes said more snow could be on its way after Christmas, as mild air comes in from the west, but he was not able to say how much.

Janette Reed, chairman of Witney Independent Traders Association, said Saturday had been a “disaster” for her.

She was forced to close her Witney store, Cotswold Kids, after being trapped at home.

She said not enough had been done to clear the routes into Witney to allow shoppers’ access, adding: “The arterial B-roads should have been more actively gritted and cleared.

“If they could have been opened, that would have helped the rural communities and our staff enormously.”

Lesley Semaine, chairman of Witney Chamber of Commerce, said: “This weather hasn’t done us any favours.

“I have heard from restaurants out of town that they have had to close for the whole weekend.

“Retailers out of town have also suffered terribly, and for some businesses it has been absolutely devastating.

“Saturday and Sunday before Christmas should be their busiest time of the year.

“I’ve been in the town over 25 years, and this has been one of the worst years we’ve ever had.”

The weather has also affected the elderly and disabled.

Jason Kibble, Oxfordshire children’s services manager at the Guideposts Trust, said: “It’s been a major problem.

“It’s bad enough for people who are fully mobile to get out, but for someone who is disabled it’s much worse.

“A lot of elderly people and those in wheelchairs are getting stuck in doors.”

The charity has “struggled” to get carers out to those in need, and has had to cancel many of its services, including play schemes for disabled children.

Dr Helen Van Oss, of Woodstock Surgery, said the surgery had seen cancelled appointments and an increased number of telephone consultations.

She said: “The question always is: ‘How good a diagnosis can you make on the telephone?’ She said the ambulance service had been doing a “great job”, because they had four-wheel-drive vehicles, and the police had helped collect prescriptions.

But she added: “I struggled for a long time to get to someone who needed a visit.

“It’s a problem.”

The issue for many was that Oxfordshire County Council had not gritted any roads around some of the district’s smaller towns.

Adrian Coomber, deputy mayor of Carterton, said: “The main problem for us is that we have not got an A-road that leads to Carterton.

“Oxfordshire County Council only grits the major routes, so routes into Carterton don’t get gritted.

“That’s a major problem.”

Marcus Mabberley, spokesman for the council, said: “Oxfordshire County Council has 28 gritters operating throughout the county, covering 1,200 miles, or 43 per cent of roads — including all major routes.

“The council has done its level best to keep main routes clear of snow, and all main routes have remained passable with care.”

West Oxfordshire District Council was also hit by the weather, which forced it to cancel garden waste collections this week.

The council will focus on rubbish, food, and black box recycling collections, but said even these could be disrupted.

It asked for residents to leave their rubbish bins, food bins and recycling boxes out for collection until the evening of Friday, December 24.

Councillor David Harvey, cabinet member for the environment said: “We will be trying our utmost to reach as many areas as possible but the roads are very icy and dangerous.

“Collections have been suspended for the safety for our bin men, and residents and their property”.

For more information about collections, visit westoxon.gov.uk