True grit called for as roads turned into ice

Thousands of tons of grit was being poured onto roads in the West Midlands today as the heaviest snowfall in 18 years turned to ice.

Bins were again being left uncollected in Walsall, Dudley and Wolverhampton, with the city council warning it would not collect any extra bags when lorries go back next week.

Bus, train and Metro services were running as normal but commuters were advised to allow extra time for journeys. Arriva Midlands said passengers in the Cannock area were advised to catch services from the main routes as buses struggled on side roads.

National Express West Midlands spokeswoman Carly O'Donnell said: "We are running a full service on the buses and the Metro today. As before there is a lot of congestion." Birmingham Airport was open today but passengers were warned of some delays and cancellations.

Nine scheduled arrivals were cancelled last night and a further five were diverted to airports including East Midlands and Manchester. A spokewoman advised passengers to contact airlines before setting out.

Gritters have treated the main roads and bus routes in Dudley three times since Sunday afternoon using 250 tons of salt. Wolverhampton City Council has a stock of 2,500 tons of grit and staff were out spreading it in the early hours.

The Highways Agency was pouring salt onto the motorways at around 4.15am and the M6 and M5 were running as normal. In Staffordshire, county council gritting and snow ploughing teams worked through the night on 3,500 miles of streets.

In Walsall a total of eight vehicles were out in the borough at 1am today gritting 16 routes. Town centres were also gritted as were crematoriums, where funerals were still going ahead.

Wolverhampton City Council said the snow had made it too dangerous for bin lorries to get down side streets.

Spokesman Tim Clark said: "Excess domestic waste will not be taken on the next scheduled day. Residents are therefore advised to take any excess waste to the nearest household waste and recycling centre."

In Walsall binmen will take three extra bags when they come back next week while Dudley collectors went out at 6am today but were forced to turn back.

Meanwhile markets in both Walsall and Bloxwich were off for the second day running due to fears of snow and ice causing a danger.