WHITEOUT

Photo: John Battye

OLDHAM Mountain Rescue Team helps stricken Hughie McDonald.

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‘Heroic’ rescue team earns praise

A GOVERNMENT minister has praised courageous members of Oldham Mountain Rescue Team for their efforts combating the borough’s whiteout weekend.

The 20-strong team took part in a series of dramatic rescues including helping a former senior Oldham councillor who broke his leg in a fall.

Phil Woolas, MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth and Minister for Immigration, said: “The team are all heroes.

“They have done a terrific job and deserve every ounce of praise we can give them.”

Hughie McDonald (68), Labour’s former chief whip on Oldham Council, severely injured his left leg when he fell on his way to a meeting with the MP yesterday in Springhead.

Sarah Schofield, a cleaner at the near-by Spinners Arms, rushed to help accompanied by Dr Kate Walker, one of the accident and emergency team at Royal Oldham Hospital.

In freezing fog and snow, caring neighbours brought duvets and bedding from their homes to keep him warm until the mountain rescue team erected a special tent to enable his condition to be stabilised.

They then took Mr McDonald and the doctor to hospital in one of their Land Rover ambulances as the local ambulance service were at full stretch on other emergency calls.

Mountain rescue team leader, Mick Nield, said: “Everyone at the scene did a great job.”

On Saturday night, the team rushed to Glodwick to support an ambulance attending a woman who had gone into labour on the way to hospital in a car.

Crews also ferried a young couple with a nine-week-old baby safely home after they had to abandon their car at Lees and were attempting to walk to Greenfield.

Firefighters isolated a water supply at a property at Eastbourne Street, Glodwick at 2am today after a central heating pipe burst and caused flooding.

Over the weekend, temperatures plummeted to -8.7 degrees Celsius (17F), the coldest temperatures since December, 1995, with about 10cm of snow falling on Saturday and Sunday.

Oldham Chronicle weatherman Damian Rodgers said more snow fell than during the cold snap in February.

He said snow showers and icy cold temperatures could mean Oldham having a white Christmas on Friday but the amount of snow would lessen as the week goes on.

Snowfall caused a huge increase for the North-West Ambulance Service (NWAS) with calls quadrupling yesterday. (20)

Derek Cartwright, NWAS director Derek Cartwright, said they had been inundated by calls about people slipping on ice and injuring themselves.

He said: “We’ve had 800 or so trips and falls across the North-West up until yesterday, and that’s four times as much as we normally get for a Sunday.”

Last night the M60 was closed between junction 10 at the Trafford Centre and junction 11 at Barton in both directions to allow snow ploughs to clear the carriageways, causing severe tailbacks.

Passengers at Manchester Airport faced severe delays and cancellations yesterday after the runway was closed for 90 minutes for de-icing. Some passengers were still waiting to fly out this morning.

Oldham businesses were today totting up the lost revenue caused by the weather keeping shoppers at home.

Many revellers cancelled pre-Christmas parties in pubs, clubs and restaurants, and drivers at some cab companies refused to turn out due to the treacherous weather.

However, Uppermill bakers JW Buckley got a rousing cheer from hungry diners at Greenfield Cricket Club when they delivered more than 80 meat and potato pies for a celebration.

Last night, parts of the A62 in Saddleworth were down to a single lane because of abandoned vehicles and heavy snow drifts.

Staff at C&G Carpets (Springhead) were due to enjoy a two-day break in Amsterdam but it turned into a travel nightmare yesterday.

Their minibus broke down on the A627M and, after finally arriving by taxi at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport, they were told all EasyJet flights to Amsterdam were cancelled until Tuesday.

In Delph, a council gritter collided with a wall in The Sound.

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said staff had been out overnight and were working around the clock.

He said: “We have 10 gritters with ploughs operating.

“They have cleared the primary routes and will continue to keep these clear and are also working to clear the secondary routes.

“All primary roads at this time in the borough are passable with care.

“We are expecting more snow and ice overnight.”

He said Oldham Council had activated electronic road signs to inform motorists that Kirklees council had closed the A635 at their border.

He added any residents running out of grit should call the council’s winter line on 0161-770 4421 or 4423.


Snowman cheers struggling drivers

THE snow might have caused mayhem for motorists but it brought light relief for some Oldhamers.

They decided to entertain passing drivers on Saturday night by building a giant snowman at the Waterhead bus terminus.

Austerlands resident David Needham took a picture of the two creative couples and their creation (see gallery).