HEAVY FOG OYER HOME COUNTIES

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5279, 16 December 1946, Page 5

HEAVY FOG OYER HOME COUNTIES

(Press Assn,

• — *- ! OHAOS TN LONDON THOUSANDS OF MOTORS LEFT IN STREETS

—Rec. 9.30 p.m.)

LONDON, Dec. 14. A thiek, clmgijig fog, one of the worst in jiving memory, overhnng a 50^mile radius of London on Friday, °hindering transport services in the Home Counties in their attempt to struggle back to normal after night-long chaos. The morning brought a hoar frost, silvering the mist-bound countryside and filming roads and footpaths with dangerous ice. With the, dim dawn there canie 50 yards of visibility to 2500 spectators who had spent the night at Wembley Stadium. They had found it impossible to leave the stadium after seeing an IPe hockey match the pxecious night. A fleet of buses arrived to move them to work, and left in a close, crawling convoy. The Automobile Association was inuiidated with calls from motorists asking for help to find their cars which had been abandoned overnight in places which the owners were unable to identify. At 2 a.m. thou'sands of motor cars, buses, tramcars and taxis were abandoned and left in the streets. The traffic queues were facing in all directions and there was indescribable chaos. The police struggled frantically to disentangle a solid mass of vehicles, but with liftle suceess. q Fire hrigades were relieved in themorning to see some lightening of the murk. They had been forced during the night to send torch-bearers in front of fire engines answering calls. Bus services were clislocated at 9 a.m., resulting in the overburdening of the underground railways. Thousands of Londoners at l'O a.m. were still trying to get to work or were arriving very late and very cold. The Queen was one,, of the thousands who were delayed by the fog. Her Majesty dined at Middle Temple with benchers and members of the Inn and returned to Buckingham Palaee- -by way of the Embankmeht and The Mail. Trouble began at Admiralty Arch. A policeman walked ahead of the Royal car flashing a torch while the Queen's personal detective attendant walked beside the car, keeping in line with the kerbside. Although the fog partly lifted after midday visibility remained limited, forced the curtailment of air services and kept most shipping fog-bound. The fog belt extended praetically through Southern England. Visibility in many places was nil. The Automobile Association has warned motorists to clear roads before darkness because movement may again become imposible. Firms have been asked to release their staffs early in anticipation of a repetition of the disruption of services.