Melting snow causes structural damage

llanblogger's narrow escape from falling gutter ...

Reports are coming in of damage to property all over town caused by tons of melting snow.

As a partial thaw set in llanblogger has been hearing of snow-laden trees crashing on to patios and carports and through the windows of parked cars. 

Llanblogger’s own property in Regent Street was among those hit earlier this afternoon.

A huge area of melting snow slid down the roof of the house bringing over 20 feet of heavy cast-iron guttering (pictured right) crashing to the ground. 

One of the heavy sections went straight through the rear of a car parked on the driveway at the side. It later had to be towed away for repairs.

The falling guttering, which came down along with a massive wooden faceboard, landed only feet away from where llanblogger editor Phil Robinson was out clearing away snow.

Out on the road, the A5 which had been closed between Llangollen and Corwen since Saturday, was finally re-opened at around 5pm today.  

Meanwhile, Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has written to ScottishPower’s headquarters in Glasgow to ask what the company is doing to help customers in her constituency through the current spell of arctic weather. 

In her letter she says: “Following recent bad weather experienced within my constituency, I am writing to ascertain what action ScottishPower has taken in the Clwyd South area in order to help constituents through this difficult time. 

“A number of constituents have reported blackouts to their power over the past week as a result of the extreme weather conditions that have hit North East Wales. Some have been left without power for a number of days. 

“I would appreciate clarification of what has happened and any details on action taken by Scottish Power in order to combat the issues that my constituents have been experiencing. Furthermore, I would be grateful if you could provide details of the compensation package available to those who have been affected by the cuts in power and what can be expected by constituents who have been experiencing these problems.”

11am weather update

* A North Wales Police traffic officer took this picture of the Ponderosa Café on the Horseshoe Pass - which remains closed to traffic - about 11am on Monday. 

Snow update (Monday morning) from Denbighshire County Council

Efforts to clear snow and fallen trees from roads in south Denbighshire is continuing today (Monday).

Highways  As at 10.30am, a number of main roads remain affected and the priority today is to re-open the A5, which is still closed between Corwen and Llangollen.  Crews are battling to get through to a number of fallen trees to remove them. There are also concerns about the safety of a number of trees, which could fall at any time under the weight of the snow.  We are hopeful that the Horseshoe pass will be cleared today  B5430 Nant y Garth is passable with care.  A5104 is open but continuing to widen the carriageway.  B5437 Carrog to Corwen - is open but not from Carrog to Bryneglwys.  Eryrys to Graianrhyd is open.  A543 Denbigh Moors is still closed.  B4501 Denbigh to Cerrigydrudion is still closed.  Travellers Inn to Tremeirchion off the A55 is still closed.  Many smaller routes, in particular in the south of the county remain impassable but the situation is constantly changing and we will update progress later this afternoon.  Council teams are using a range of machinery as part of efforts to get the road network clear as quickly as possible. This machinery includes loading shovels, JCBs, large excavators, snow blowers, gritters and agri-ploughs. Local contractors have been drafted in to assist with the clear-up operation.  Crews have also been deployed to clear town centre street in Llangollen.  Public transport is still being affected

X50 Ruthin to Wrexham section: in spite of early running this morning, this is now WITHDRAWN temporarily, owing to road widths on the tops at the Wrexham end.  Buses are meeting other vehicles, including cars, and cannot manoeuvre around each other in the snow.

The X94 Barmouth-Dolgellau-Bala-Corwen-Llangollen-Wrexham is operating Barmouth to Dolgellau in the west only; and Wrexham to Acrefair in the east only, according to Arriva managers. This owing to the road closure between Corwen and Llangollen. There are no alternative routes for buses of 12m in length.

Service 76 Denbigh-Llandyrnog-Ruthin-Graigfechan. A bus has met with a collision between Llangwyfan to Llangynhafal and the service will operate normally except for this section. This is owing to drifting snow on to road that has frozen.

Service 10 (Bodfari - Rhyl) not serving Cwm village.  Welfare issues  Thoughts are now turning to welfare issues as the cold snap conitnues and anyone experiencing difficulties should contact Denbighshire Customer Services on 01824 706100 (Welsh line) or 01824 706101 (English) to ask for assistance. Calls will be prioritised to target those who need immediate and urgent help.  Animal welfare officers will also be prioritising and animal welfare issues. Again, please contact the above numbers to raise any concerns.  Denbighshire County Council would like to reassure residents that teams are working around the clock in often atrocious conditions and we would like to thank people for their patience and understanding. People should continue to monitor websites, social media, news and weather bulletins for the latest information.

Llan filmed for national TV

 

 

* The ITN film unit's van parked opposite the Royal Hotel this morning.

 

 

* Traffic queues up in Castle Street while lorries deliver to the shops.

A crew from ITN were in town this morning filming shots of Llangollen under its heavy layer of spring snow.

They beamed panoramic pictures of the bridge, Castle Street, the River Dee and the Methodist Church live into the Daybreak news magazine programme on ITV and later into the Lorraine show.

The crew arrived in a large white and orange van, complete with satellite dish on the roof, which was parked up opposite the Royal Hotel while the filming went ahead.

Speaking to llanblogger, the cameraman, who said he was based near Manchester, explained the crew was one of three outside broadcast units which had been despatched to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to provide live footage of snow scenes for ITV.

Meanwhile, traffic jams developed in Castle Street and along the A5 in Regent Street as lorries had to park directly outside shops because they could not get into snow-bound side-streets or car parks as usual.

Pavements around town still buried under tons of snow were more treacherous than ever this morning after an overnight freeze left them coated with ice.

Traffic Wales reported earlier that the A5 between Llan and Corwen remained closed in both directions because of trees brought down by the snow lying across the carriageway.  

Weather update Sunday evening

Council bosses pay tribute to their teams

The Leader and Chief Executive of Denbighshire County Council have paid tribute to the Council's teams of staff for their tireless efforts in dealing with the wintry conditions.


Leader of the Council, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: "Teams have battled the elements, often working in atrocious conditions to try and keep the county's roads open. It's certainly a long time since we've experienced such severe snowfall and many communities were affected over the weekend, in particular in the south of the county.


"The strong winds caused major drifting and the Council's teams, working with local contractors have worked around the clock to try and clear these roads. I really commend their efforts."

Chief Executive, Mohammed Mehmet, said: "I am very proud of the efforts of staff who have worked in terrible conditions to try and keep us safe. It has been a really testing time and my thanks go to all the teams and contractors that have worked together on the ground but also to colleagues in many other departments that have rallied together to assist with the efforts.


"They have dealt with numerous enquiries over recent days and have made every effort to ensure that the best possible levels of service have been maintained and that residents have been kept informed.

"The Council has also worked closely with colleagues from a number of other agencies to respond to this on-going situation and we will continue to deploy our resources to get the situation back to normal as quickly as possible.

"We would also like to thank the public for their understanding. We ha ve seen examples of where communities have really pulled together to help each other in the snowy conditions -it's great to see community spirit alive and kicking in our county."

Council efforts continue in snowy conditions

Efforts to clear snow and fallen trees from roads in south Denbighshire is continuing this afternoon (Sunday).

A number of main roads remain affected:

• A5104 is partly open between Bryneglwys and Corwen
• Horseshoe Pass is unlikely to open for some time and work is on-going to try and clear the snow
• The Council is attempting to open the Llanelidan link. Work ongoing in Llanelidan through Brynegwlys to Carrog
• A5 remains closed between Corwen and Llangollen

Many smaller routes, in particular in the south of the county remain impassable.

Council teams are using a range of machinery as part of efforts to get the road network clear as quickly as possible. These machinery include loading shovels, JCBs, large excavators, snow blowers, gritters and agri-ploughs. Local contractors have been drafted in to assist with the clear-up operation.

Denbighshire County Council would like to reassure residents that teams are working around the clock in often atrocious conditions  and we would like to thank people for their patience and understanding.  People should continue to monitor websites, social media, news and weather bulletins for the latest information. 
Update on snow in Denbighshire - Sunday morning from the county council.

"Weather unprecedented" says council chief

A number of roads in Denbighshire remain closed due to the heavy snowfall over recent days.  The roads closed are:  A5 Corwen to Llangollen remains closed, and will be prioritised. The road is open from Llangollen to Wrexham  A5104 Closed, Llandegla to Corwen

A542 Horseshoe pass between Llandegla and Llangollen Closed

B5431 into LLanarmon Yn Ial village still closed

Teams of staff from the Council are working around the clock to clear roads, often working in atrocious conditions. Fallen trees are also a hazard in the county and contractors have been deployed again this morning to assist the Council in dealing with the fallen trees, in particular on the A5 between Corwen and Llangollen.  Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Environment, said: "This weather is unprecedented in Denbighshire. Many of our highways staff say they are the worst conditions they have experienced and a number of our communities, in particular in south Denbighshire have been greatly affected.  "We would like to reassure residents that we are doing our utmost to clear the county's roads and to get things moving again and our gritting and ploughing teams have been working through the night to assist in these efforts. They are doing great work and I would also like to pay tribute to the contractors that have been assisting us in this work".  Weather forecasts predict that light snow may become more persistent again through this morning and linger into the afternoon to give the chance of further slight accumulations, especially over the high routes. However, the snow should die out by evening to leave a dry night with some clear intervals developing and temperatures falling below zero with the risk of ice. With fresh easterly winds, further drifting of lying snow is likely.

More snow pictures from a reader

Latest reader's snow pictures

W Fowler sent in the two pictures below.

He says: "Snowy pictures from Pentredwr...and.main road past Britannia to Llangollen this afternoon.

Afternoon update from Diane Slater ...

It is going to take ages to clear all this snow. Everybody saying it is the worst since 1963. Good job folks look after their neighbours . We have been feeding the birds constantly . So many local people cannot get out at all . Apparently there are loads of trees down by the old YHA , real shame .



Reader Diane Slater has been in touch to say: "Here are a few photos I took this morning.

"The car covered in snow is ours next to our cottage on the Geraint.

"There is a photo of our dog Bramble walking home along a trench we dug yesterday.

"The fallen trees are across the road going up the Geraint. No chance of getting passed there until the Council remove them!"

Other readers can send their snow pictures to llanblogger@gmail.com




* The buried car.

* Bramble walks home.

 * The fallen trees.

 

Elihu Yale talk at museum becomes snow victim

Hanes-Llangollen-History regrets that the talk on Elihu Yale by Gareth Williams at the Llangollen Museum on Monday evening has had to be cancelled due to the weather.

This will now take place in April (date to be confirmed).

Gill Thomas of the history group said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Eisteddfod goes back to black

* Selwyn Evans, Treasurer of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has staged a dramatic reversal of fortune - by making a profit for the first time in five years and providing a £1.5 million boost to the local economy.

While other festivals have struggled, the world-renowned event defied the recession and bad weather to record a profit of £22,668 after a number of difficult years.

Meanwhile, advance sales for this year's International Eisteddfod are already breaking previous records.

Last year’s event attracted 36,000 people and with an average daily visitor spend of £42 that adds up to a massive £1.5 million cash injection to the local economy.

The result has been welcomed by Eisteddfod treasurer Selwyn Evans who said: “This is very encouraging after a number of difficult years and the fact that it was achieved against the odds is also significant.

“Not only did we manage it in the worst economic downturn in our 67-year history we also did it in a very wet week in the middle of the wettest summer on record.

“That did affect daytime ground admissions in particular but we managed to more than maintain our concert attendance figures.

“That was down to the extremely hard work of the staff, one only of whom was full time, and our dedicated army of volunteers and helpers.

“Our aim now is to improve on this result in 2013 and continue improving in subsequent years and to do that every line of income and expenditure will continue to be carefully monitored in order to achieve our aim.

“But what we will also do is continue to back our Musical Director and his plans for the future and to maintain the standards of our superlative concert lineup and the wonderful atmosphere that the Eisteddfod always creates on the field and in the town.”

This year’s Eisteddfod starts on Tuesday, July 9, and runs until Sunday, July 14, when a concert by keyboard king Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra will be the climax to six days of music and dance and competitions.

Also in a star-studded line-up are a Strictly Cuban evening featuring Strictly Come Dancing stars James and Ola Jordan and the music of Havana’s Buena Vista Social Club.

Concerts include a performance of Verdi’s Requiem on the 200^th anniversary of the composer’s birth and performances from harpist Claire Jones, tenor Noah Stewart, and percussionist Evelyn Glennie as well as Only Men Aloud on the Choir of the World competition night, Saturday, July 13.

Advance sales for this year’s concerts are going very well and Selwyn Evans added: “In just four weeks we have sold £170,000 worth of tickets and are more than halfway to our target for the year.

“The Jools Holland concert is already over half sold and there is also lots of demand for the other events, especially Strictly Latin and Only Men Aloud.

“That’s very poitive and we’re really pleased with the results after a few very tough years.

“To have turned it round the way we have is a wonderful achievement.”

The 67^th Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod kicks off on Tuesday, July 9, with International Children’s Day including interactive performances from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the colourful procession of the competitors to the Royal International Pavilion, led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite, CBE, the former Archbishop’s Special Envoy and a long-time supporter.

The evening concerts start with Tuesday night’s Carnival of Nations featuring four of Wales’s finest male voice choirs, the Rhos Orpheus, Cor Godre’r Aran, Cor y Brythoniaid and the chart topping Fron Choir, performing on the 60^th anniversary of the historic visit of Germany’s Obernkirchen Choir. They will be joined by the St Melodians Steel Band, from Trinidad and international competitors.

Wednesday night will feature An Evening with Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie who will be joined by the rising American tenor Noah Stewart and harpist Claire Jones, former official harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales, along with the Eisteddfod Orchestra and the Santo Tomas Choir from the Philippines, twice Choir of the World winners.

Thursday will be Strictly Cuban, a celebration of Latin dance rhythms with James and Ola Jordan and the Buena Vista Social Club while Friday will be VERDI 200, a performance of Verdi’s Requiem by to mark the 200^th anniversary of the composer’s birth with Claire Rutter, Mirouslava Yordanova , Gwyn Hughes Jones, Jonathan Lemalu and accompanied by the Eisteddfod Orchestra conducted by Andrew Greenwood.

Saturday is Choir of the World which this year will also feature Only Men Aloud, Last Choir Standing TV winners while for the first time dance will be teamed with choral music on Saturday night as the Eisteddfod’s top two dance troupes dance off for the new Dance Champions 2013 Trophy.

On Sunday keyboard king Jools Holland will bring the house and the curtain down with his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra and a special guest before the traditional firework show finale.

Tickets for this year’s concerts are general sale and are available from the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

For more information on this year’s event check out the website or go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/llangollen