Snow in Sheffield 'caught out' city council
Overnight falls of snow led to rush-hour delays and slippery roads because Sheffield City Council was not prepared for it, the authority has admitted.
Poor driving conditions were reported on roads in several areas, including Gleadless and Manor Top. Penistone Road and the A57 at Aston were closed.
Wayne Southall, in charge of gritting in Sheffield, said the council expected frost and had gritted accordingly.
Weather forecasts had predicted black ice for South Yorkshire, but not snow.
"We put down salt for hoarfrost, not the amount of salt we would put down for snow," Mr Southall said.
"We had bad snow this morning after four o'clock which was a bit late to deal with."
Mr Southall said the city centre, the north of the city and Hillsborough had remained generally unaffected by the poor weather conditions.
The south west areas of the city and those on high ground had been hit hard, he admitted.
Mr Southall said the weather was due to improve later, but meanwhile gritters would continue treating roads around the city.
"We're going to stay out there and work as quickly as we can to deal with the problems for now," he said.
"The anticipation is that the weather will help us out."
He said the gritting operation would concentrate on treating main roads in Sheffield, with other roads treated when possible.
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