Snarl-up in the snow

ALL aboard for the Polar Express! This film-set looking scene was taken by reader Darren Smith as he waited for his tram at Mumps Station just after 6pm yesterday

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OLDHAMERS showed true grit as they battled heavy snowfalls last night.

In the last 48 hours the council’s fleet of gritters has covered over 2,000 miles of roads and spread more than 600 tons of salt.

Only four bus routes were left in operation yesterday and rush hour traffic moved at a crawl as motorists struggled to cope.

Huddersfield Road from Denshaw to the M62, and the A635 in Greenfield, were closed for hours yesterday morning. The westbound slip road of the M62 at junction 21 near Shaw was closed following a serious collision. Flights were affected at Manchester Airport as workers cleared the runway.

More than 40 schools, including Oldham College, Oldham Sixth Form College and Hathershaw College, were closed. Many were expected to remain closed today following more overnight snow.

People took to social media sites to complain about the lack of gritters on the roads while others praised the council for its efforts to keep the borough moving.

A spokesman for Oldham Council said: “Our fleet has been working around the clock to ensure our primary highway network keeps moving and is free of ice and snow as much as is reasonably possible.”