Icy blast sees deserted shops

High streets and shopping centres across the West Midlands have taken a battering as icy weather has kept people at home.

Usually bustling town centres and shopping complexes were almost deserted today after up to six inches of snow fell on the region.

Images of car parks and shopping streets taken mid-afternoon yesterday show empty streets and a blanket of white where there would normally by motorists fighting for places.

The weather has had a dramatic effect on trade, with major stores expected to reveal they have suffered a drop in trade of up to 10 per cent compared to this time last year.

Workers at the Walsall branch of Wilkinsons said the store had been "completely dead" due to the adverse weather conditions.

Manager Steve Green, said: "People just can't get out at the moment. We normally have around 22,000 customers every week and that has been down by six or seven thousand.

"It seems like there's a little bit of snow and people just don't want to leave the house, which you can understand.

"But in terms of deliveries we have been absolutely fine and haven't missed one. Staff have also all made it in."

Shopping centre bosses in Wolverhampton said they expected trade to drop during adverse weather, although they have fared better than the gloomy national picture on the High Street.

Wulfrun Centre administrator Lynne Hesp said: "Last week the national footfall was down 28 per cent and ours was down six per cent so we fared quite well. Obviously this is what we expect when the weather is like this."

Steve Brachmanski, manager of Steve's cosmetics and toiletries shop in The Bridge, Walsall said: "The footfall in Walsall is way down today, it's dead.

"People just don't want to come out and with the radio saying 'don't go out unless you have to', that really sums it up. Hopefully there will be a thaw soon."

Merry Hill Shopping Centre in Brierley Hill, has seen customer numbers drop since the first bout of snow fell last week.

Brierley Hill couple Peter and Wendy Bradley, both aged 59, were making the most of a quiet day at Merry Hill. Mrs Bradley visits the centre two to three times a week.

Mr Bradley, a self-employed motor mechanic, said: "The weather does affect people. We've been in a few shops and there is nobody there. It's a pensioner's dream. We prefer it when it's a bit quiet because the traffic is usually a nightmare getting in and out."

The Sainsbury's car park and an overflow car park were both closed yesterday, covered by a blanket of snow, with padlocked barriers.

Some of the car parks were left closed with padlocked barriers yesterday, and JCB diggers have been hired to clear the amount of unexpected snow.

Merry Hill spokeswoman Rebecca Jeavons said: "Obviously we have had to hire JCBs to clear the snow more efficiently and quickly. I'm sure any major shopping centre has done exactly the same. We can't just rely on manpower because the car parks are too big.

"We did close only the very top level of the BHS car park but it's very rarely used during the week. Other car parks to close have been small ones or overflow ones."

Nathan Smith, aged 19 from Kingswinford, who works on a fashion stall in Merry Hill, said he took about three per cent of usual takings yesterday. It's been like this since it started snowing last week."

West Bromwich's Queen's Square has also lost trade.

Walter Smith Butchers said its trade had been slower ever since the snow settled and Thorntons said it only had 33 customers yesterday compared to the usual 100.

It's not all doom and gloom, however as shops specialising in outdoor wear are praying for more snow.

Outdoor shop H2 Snow, in Market Street, Stourbridge is celebrating a 150 per cent increase in sales after only a month of opening. As well as spelling trouble for shops, the bad weather has also hamperedbin collections across the region, with many residents having to pile up rubbish until conditions improve.

Angry pensioners from an Aldridge street claim their recycling has not been collected since December 10.

Resident Lillian Faulkner, aged 67, said: "We have been told it is because the refuse lorry cannot reverse onto the car park where all of our bins are left. We did get our general waste taken away the week before last but that was cancelled last week.

"We are due to get a collection again today but we will have to wait and see what conditions are like because it if it bad they won't come again."

Walsall Council has had to leave hundreds of households without bin collections since the temperatures dropped below freezing.

But residents who have missed out twice on refuse collections due to the severe weather are being offered a special Saturday service to compensate.

Councillor Mike Flower, Walsall Council Cabinet member for the environment, said: "We have made arrangements for a special Saturday collection for grey domestic waste bins for those households which missed out on their grey bin collections on January 6 and yesterday.

"Our refuse crews will be trying to clear some of the backlog, weather permitting, on Saturday."

Councillor Mike Flower, Walsall Council Cabinet member for the environment, said: "The severe weather has caused unavoidable disruption across the country with some of the worst snow and ice in 30 years. I have seen first hand that our staff are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. However driving 26 ton lorries on ice and steep gradients in some cases is still proving impossible.

"Crews have been going into some areas on foot to collect refuse wherever possible but conditions overnight and in the early hours have made this impossible for them to do at the moment. I would thank Walsall residents during this difficult time for their patience and understanding."

Residents in Caunsall and Wolverley were left fuming after bins were taken from roadsides during the bad weather and have not been told when they will be replaced.

Councillor Gordon Yarranton said he had been left stunned by the thefts. "I just cannot understand why people would do something like this it beggars belief,l he said.

The Government today revealed that millions of pounds have been handed out in cold weather payments as the cold spell continues to grip the UK.

Meanwhile, it today emerged that the cost of repairs at a Wolverhampton library which was flooded earlier this week could be £10,000.

The damage to Ashmore Park Library, on Griffiths Drive, Wednesfield, was discovered by cleaning staff early on Monday morning and is expected to take two weeks to clean up.

More than £260m has already been spent proCity Librarian Karen Lees said: "We are doing all we can to try to re-open Ashmore Park library as quickly as possible. Work is currently underway to dry out the building, replace the ceiling tiles, check the electrics and to replace damaged books.

"It is expected, however, that the library will be closed for at least two weeks.

"We will continue to keep people informed as to when Ashmore Park will re-open but concerned borrowers can use any Wolverhampton library to renew or return their books."

Gritters have once again been out and about on the region's roads following chaotic scenes yesterday, spreading thousands of tons of salt.

But the winter weather has led to some cheer across the region.

Snowmen of all shapes and sizes have been created, including one crazy creation by hairdressers in Wolverhampton based on a Dalek from Dr Who.

Malcolm Carline, from Peter Hipkin Haircare in Upper Green in Tettenhall, spent two-and-a-half hours yesterday creating the snow dalek.

He said: "People have been taking lots of photos."

Public transport was running normally today following yesterday's snow.

On the trains it was only services in Scotland and the north of England, as well as Eurostar, that were reporting delays.

Line side equipment problems caused delays on London Midland services from London to Birmingham. The 6.53am service did not arrive until 9.16am.

The 7.40am service from Rugeley Trent Valley to Birmingham New Street was also nearly an hour late.

Buses and the Midland Metro were running normally today as well.

Birmingham Airport was open as usual today.

A 7am flight to Edinburgh was one hour 10 minutes late leaving but other delays were less than 15 minutes. The airport had been forced to close at 3am yesterday after snow fell on the runway.