AS we all wait to see whether we wake up to the forecast snow, we took a look back at the Chronicle archive and found that 15 years ago to the week Barnsley was slipping and sliding and struggling to cope in the worst wintry weather the town had seen for years.
The Chronicle of February 5, 2009 reported that most schools were closed and scores of people had suffered falls on icy pavements.
Wheelie bin collections were disrupted and shops closed early to help staff get home safely. The hospital carried out 110 X-rays in two days, including many on broken hips, ankles, shoulders, knees, and three spinal injuries.
It also reported that the hospital managed to cope, with some doctors and nurses staying overnight and one consultant cycling to work in the snow carrying a sleeping bag. No operations were cancelled.
There was traffic chaos – one town centre worker said it took one hour and 25 minutes to drive less than two miles from Church Street to Pogmoor on the Monday evening.
Several council departments were disrupted. A message went on the council website saying only bins on main roads would be collected.
There were a number of road accidents, including a heavy goods vehicle which crashed into the new Voodoo pub on Wellington Street on the Tuesday.
There was also a crash on the M1 northbound, south of junction 36. A car hit the central reservation and ended up facing the wrong way in the outside lane. Later at 8.15 another two cars collided on the A61 at Tankersley near McDonalds. The drivers sustained minor injuries.
Stagecoach bus services suffered some delays and there were cancellations.
Spokesman Rupert Cox said: “Although we had some delays due to road conditions and local traffic, a full service was operated. Inspectors went out on both Monday and Tuesday morning to check weather and road conditions and these were also appraised throughout the day to ensure that operation remained safe.
“Credit should go to all our drivers and depot staff for coming in to work, sometimes with great difficulty, and ensuring that a strong service was provided given the very difficult circumstances.”
Town centre shops appeared to have weathered the storm relatively well.
Chamber of Commerce spokesman Brig Chaggar said: “Businesses tell us it’s not affected trade too badly.
“I don’t have figures but some shops did close early, I think that was just to help make sure staff got home safely. The council had gritted some of the footways.
“There were some areas and side streets not gritted, but they cleared the main thoroughfares as efficiently as they could."
