ENGLAND SHIVERS

Chronicle (Levin), 30 January 1947, Page 5

ENGLAND SHIVERS

Press Assn,

Heavy Snow Disorganises Transport COLDEST NIGHT IN MEMORY

isy Telegraph

.-Copyrighi

Received' Thursday, 11.15 a.m. LONDON, Jan. 29. Snow and frost disorganised rail and road transport and caused many thousands of London workers to arrive in the city up to more than two hours late. The gas cut has affected over 2,000,000 Londoners. Central, southeast and south-west England, anct also parts of London, have had a 20 p6t cent. electricity cut. Many cars froze up and have been abandoned. Numerous roads on the hills . of south and southeast England are impassable. The lowest temperature was four „ /-..Tdegrees Fahrenheit at Tonbridge, Kent. There were 25 aegrees oi frost in West Malling and Croydon. It was the coldest late January night in London for 66 years. Temperatures in North England were much higher, being 26 in Yorkshire and 35 on the east coast of Scotland. The River Thames is frozen for the first time since 1940 at Windsor, where there is a thin layer of ice across the river for a quarter of a mile. The River Medway is frozen over for the first time smce 1927. The lock gates at Abington could not be opened owing to ice. Barges and lighters were brought to a standstill. Sea water froze in the inner harbour of Folkestone as the tide receded. People in oue village have been unable to leave tlieir homes for three days and some schools have closed owing to lack of heating. Milk deliveries in Southend are being carried out by sleigh. Snow was still falling heavily in some places in Britain this afternoon, with drifts ten feet deep. The Royal Obsefvdtory at Greenwich recordecl the lowest temperature for 52 years. Temperatures in Kent have been recorded as low as minus one fahrenheit in what is termed the coldest night in living memory. The Air Ministry has given a warning that the frost tonight is likely to be even more severe. Many city men came to work todav dressed in Royal Air Force flying suits and servicemen's Arctic-hooded, white fur coats. The cold wave is aiso covering France, and has caused many deaths. More than sixty people in Berlin have been frozen to death since December 1.