Snow warning as shoppers come out to play...

FORECASTERS are predicting more snow over high ground around Oldham tonight.

Weather experts say the next 24 hours will be unsettled and wintry with overcast skies and outbreaks of sleet or snow, staying wet into the evening with further sleet or snow likely.

It will feel bitterly cold in the strong, north-easterly winds which will lead to blizzard-like conditions in places.

Maximum temperatures will be 5C (41F).

Despite a Christmas Day thaw and rain showers, snow is still lying on hills and side roads across the borough.

It brought Boxing Day fun for sledgers and walkers working off their Christmas treats.

But a senior National Park ranger is warning of the dangers of using a dam at the Dovestone beauty spot as a sleigh run in wintry weather.

Andy Valentine, from the Peak District National Park, alerted daredevils to the dangers.

He said: “People who come flying down the side of the dam at Dovestone are an accident waiting to happen.

“The steep sides of the dam are very appealing when they are covering in snow. But they pose a real threat to safety.”

He pointed out tough wooden posts in the car park as a potential hazard and said people on sleighs should be aware of the dangers they pose to visitors traffic using the road to the dam from the A635 in Greenfield.

“My advice to people with sleighs is to simply stay off the sides of the dam.

“It could prove lethal, particularly if they continue to slide into the path of traffic.”

Meanwhile, there was better news for bargain hunters who flocked to the sales in Oldham town centre.

Town Square and Spindles shopping centres were packed with customers clamouring for cut price goodies on Boxing Day.

Centre manager Mike Flanagan said this festive season has been a bumper year with Oldhamers ignoring the credit crunch and flexing the plastic.

A series of high profile events, such as Santa’s Festive Village and the Reindeer Parade, have helped to attract shoppers to the centre.

There was also an ad campaign highlighting Oldham’s attractions screened during popular TV shows in the run up to Christmas.

The bargain hunting also extended to Elk Mill Retail Park where shoppers queued from the early hours to take advantage of the Next sale.

The car park was full to capacity as Oldhamers shook off the excesses of the festive season and went on the hunt for cut price clothes and homeware.

Shops across the country enjoyed record-breaking trade with some even employing security guards to keep the baying crowds under control.