ROADS were gridlocked, ambulances stuck, schools shut and bus and train services suspended as a day of heavy snow hit the Bradford district.

Services across Bradford ground to a halt as the snow fell throughout the district today.

A total of 152 district schools were closed or partially closed due to the wintry downpour.

School buses will not operate tomorrow following the heavy snowfall which has caused significant disruption to all services.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

The West Yorkshire Combined Authority and bus operators agreed that with freezing conditions expected to continue overnight and into today the safest course of action, while providing certainty to students and schools, was to suspend services Police and public transport companies urged people not to drive or travel today as the snow took hold. But there were still a number of accidents on the district's roads, especially during the morning rush hour.

The snow also caused problems to the district's medical services.

An ambulance had been towed by a kind-hearted resident after getting stuck in the heavy snow in Bradford.

Omar Shah, who was off work today, rescued an ambulance on Beckside Road by using an off-road vehicle as a tow.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Mr Shah attached the tow rope from his Polaris Off-Road Utility Vehicle to the front of the ambulance.

Then a few other residents pushed the back of the ambulance, helping it along its way.

Meanwhile, the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Bradford Royal Infirmary closed early today and will not re-open until noon today.

Staff/healthcare professionals with an appointment before noon today should not attend. An appointment will be cancelled and can be re-arranged via the confirmation email.

The heavy snow and current high demand for emergency ambulances are causing difficulties for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Mark Millins, Strategic Commander at the Trust, said: “Due to the very snowy conditions across West, South and North Yorkshire, driving conditions are very difficult and many roads are gridlocked so this is having a severe impact on our operations.

"We are implementing a number of actions in order to protect our core services for patients and respond to the ongoing demand, including increasing our 4x4 capacity.

“We are asking members of the public to only call us in a serious or life-threatening emergency to help us focus our efforts on our most poorly patients."

But there will be a respite from the snow tomorrow, with a dry, sunny but cold day, with temperatures only reaching a high of 0C by lunchtime.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Saturday brings a brief return of the wintry conditions with sleet in the morning, which will turn to dry and cloudy conditions in the afternoon.

The difficult conditions yesterday also brought out further examples of community spirit.

Raymond and Christine Darvill, the married co-owners of Darvill's Pets Gardens and Florist, used rock salt they sell in their own shop to grit the gridlocked Cemetery Road in Bradford due to the snow.

Raymond said: “It’s bad on the road outside our shop. It’s the ice underneath that will cause problems too.

“The road is moving pretty good now.

“It is snowing pretty bad outside us. Looking at the junction towards Thornton Road and they are still queuing.

“The snow has been getting worse and worse all morning. It was getting bad at about 9.15am.

“It has kept me and Christine busy.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

The couple have been hailed as ‘community heroes’ for their efforts in the snow.

Meanwhile, healthcare assistant has spoken of the travel chaos on the district’s roads due to the heavy snow.

Ramisha Kiran, who works for Pova Home Care in Bradford, says she was stuck on the city’s roads for several hours yesterday and unable to carry out any of her home visits to vulnerable service users.

She criticised Bradford Council for not putting in place enough measures in place to grit the district’s roads last night in readiness for today’s wintry weather.

Ramisha said: “I am appalled and absolutely disgusted with there not being action taken by the council.

“They should have put measures overnight in place to clear the roads and to reach out to the high risk vulnerable in need.

“I’m really upset due to not providing the care my service users needed this morning!

“My car has broken down numerous of times due to the road not being gritted and just have managed to control my car from multiple serious accidents.

“Emergency services have been held back, ambulances and police due to traffic jams and accidents.

“Bradford is in an absolute disaster right now.”

“I have been stuck on Thornton road due to the road not being gritted.”

Bradford Council says it has spread around 600 tonnes of grit on district roads today as the heavy snow wreaked havoc.

The wintry conditions have caused chaos on roads in Bradford and the local authority says it has had crews out gritting since 5am today.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Meanwhile, the heavy snow also caused chaos to our district's public transport services.

Rail services between Leeds and Bradford/Skipton/Ilkley were suspended during the afternoon following disruption caused by a fallen tree.

All rail services on the route were suspended for several hours, but the line fully re-opened this afternoon and trains are running - though delays can be expected until further notice.

Northern customers are advised to allow additional time for any journeys and to check ahead before travelling.

On the buses, Arriva and First suspended their services in then district as the roads became too difficult to travel on.

But despite the disruption, some residents still managed to have fun in the snowy conditions, some took to their sledges, while Lisa Johnston and her children built an 8ft-high snowman in Canterbury Avenue in Bradford.