Torbay avoided the worst of the icy conditions in Devon, but many commuters still faced nightmare journeys as a mix of snow, sleet, and rain caused delays and road closures.
Yesterday’s (Wednesday 8th) wintry showers caused significant travel disruption across the county in the afternoon and continued into this morning (Thursday 9th).
At 14:47 yesterday, Devon Alert reported standstill traffic on the A380 Telegraph Hill near Exeter due to snowfall.
At 15:38, Devon Alert announced that the A380 and A38 were closed southbound and westbound at Stratford Split due to the snow. The A380 was also closed northbound but remained open eastbound.
At 16:52, the A398 was open both ways at Stratford Split but with heavy congestion.
Telegraph Hill did not reopen in both directions until 23:38, when the yellow risk of ice warning issued by the Met Office came into effect overnight.
On Facebook, one driver described their “nightmare drive to work yesterday evening,” saying: “Telegraph Hill was fully closed due to weather (5cm snow, or so…) so I had to take the A38. After standing in a traffic jam for over half an hour, I finally made it to the A38. Everybody was driving 25 miles per hour max, all in the left lane, and then I missed my main road turn-off. I ended up driving 25 minutes through country lanes. I was a bit shaky when I arrived, but thankfully the car didn’t slide thanks to new tires.”
Another Facebook user complained: “It took us over three hours to get from Ikea to Torquay.”
In a joint statement released yesterday about the weather, Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon County Council Highways said: “Resources were out from midday to grit roads, including areas where snow was forecast.
“Snow arrived in the region earlier than forecast, which led to higher accumulations. As a result, it was not possible to subsequently pre-deploy the resources to vulnerable locations as had originally been planned.
“Whilst responding, minor incidents occurred which blocked traffic and resulted in snow ploughs being stuck in the resulting queues.
“Additional resources were sent immediately. Officers and staff and Highways colleagues have been working relentlessly to get things moving.”
Most recent updates say that the roads are now clear, with some residual snow left on verges on the sides of roads.
No weather warnings are currently in place in Torbay, but a yellow weather warning for ice will be in effect from 3am until 11am tomorrow (Friday 10th).
Drivers are urged to check road conditions before travelling and to consider amending their travel plans if necessary.
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