42 Schools Shut in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Amid Heavy Snow

Heavy snowfall on Wednesday led to the closure of over 40 schools in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, disrupting road travel. Specifically, 29 schools in Telford and Wrekin closed due to the conditions, though two reopened later that day. In Shropshire, 13 schools were fully closed, and an additional two experienced partial closures. The snowfall was also responsible for multiple accidents throughout the county, notably a vehicle overturning on Lincoln Hill in Ironbridge. Shrewsbury’s Christmas lights switch-on event is still scheduled to proceed, though the rotary club indicated that Santa might need to use a borrowed sleigh. In another incident, gritters equipped with snow ploughs responded to an accident on Rampart Way, close to junction five of the M54 in Telford. Due to the significant accumulation of snow on roads, bin collections in Telford and Wrekin experienced delays. The council advised residents whose bins had not yet been emptied to leave them outside. The authority stated on social media, “We will collect as soon as possible,” adding, “If we haven’t been able to empty your green bin, please put it out on your next collection.” The annual Christmas lights switch-on in Shrewsbury remains confirmed, despite the weather impacting Santa’s sleigh arrangements. The Shrewsbury Rotary Club had initially planned to transport Santa into town using their new “anti-gravity ski sleigh” but will now utilize a borrowed sleigh. Santa commented, “We apologise to enthusiasts for any disappointment this will cause,” adding, “But Rudolph wisely took the decision that under the circumstances we shouldn’t make the trip in the new sleigh for safety reasons.” A yellow weather warning for ice has been issued for Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin for Thursday. While no snow is predicted, low temperatures are expected to persist. For further updates, follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external sites. Information regarding their approach to external linking is available.