It's snow joke as Croydon brought to a standstill by bad weather (From Croydon Guardian)

It's snow joke as Croydon brought to a standstill by bad weather

2:51pm Monday 2nd February 2009 in Search By Matthew Knowles

Up to 20 centimetres of snow caused total chaos in Croydon on Monday.

Commuters were unable to leave the borough with all bus services cancelled and trains from all stations suspended.

• Picture: gallery: Snowy London
• Picture gallery: Your snow pictures

All trams were cancelled with the tracks frozen solid with ice and snow.

Dozens of commuters gathered at East and West Croydon stations only to be told to go home.

Many cars were left abandoned after getting stuck in the snowy roads and others suffered "fender bender" accidents due to the icy conditions.

One 264 double decker bus skidded in Waddon Road just after midnight and found its back end in Vicarage Road, blocking the road entrance near Wandle Park Tram stop.

Beryl Robinson said: "Cars skidded round it to try and get past but got stuck. Another bus was stuck in the snow just before the bridge at the Waddon Road traffic lights junction.

"The driver and others were trying to dig it out and were stuck for around an hour but managed to clear the bus from blocking the road by 1.00 am."

Thousands were forced to work from home and hundreds more were free to enjoy the snowiest day since 1991.

Many snow men popped up around town including outside Miso restaurant on George Street and one in Queen’s Garden’s.

Some youths took to sledging down Church Road and others took part in snowball fights along North End.

Despite the captive audience, many of Croydon’s largest retailers like Allders, Debenhams and HMV closed for business due to a lack of staff.

According to Croydon Council road gritting machines had been out since 3pm on Sunday.

Gritters with snow ploughs were concentrating on clearing primary and secondary roads.

Street cleaning services were also used to provide extra gritting of pavements and paths.

Council staff and contractors will continue gritting 24 hours a day until conditions improve.

Most schools and nurseries were closed and the council is advising parents and children not to set out on Tuesday until it is confirmed their school is open by calling the relevant school or nursery. Council libraries and day centres are were also closed on Monday.

A Croydon Council spokesman said: “Parents are advised to check school websites or contact their school direct for more information.”

The spokesman added: “All efforts are being made to keep essential services operating for the elderly and disabled, including meals on wheels.

”The council is also asking everyone to look out for the welfare of their elderly and vulnerable neighbours.”

Regular rubbish and recycling collections were suspended and will be rescheduled, the council said.

Information about the full range of Croydon Council services can be accessed through this website, via the A-Z on this site or by calling the main council switchboard on 020 8726 6000.

At Mayday hospital A&E services are still open despite staff shortages caused by the winter weather and poor travel conditions.

All planned operations and out-patient clinics are cancelled for Monday and Tuesday as the hospital has diverted all doctors and nurses who staff these clinics to support the A&E department and urgent care wards.

A spokesman for Mayday said: “We are sorry for the inconvenience this may cause and hope our patients will understand that these are exceptional circumstances.

“As always in these adverse conditions we ask anyone who does not need the urgent and specialised services provided by a hospital to stay away until the weather improves.

“We also suggest visitors do not come to the hospital, for their own safety and comfort.

“Key staff are being provided with accommodation locally so they can continue to work and ensure safe services for the people of Croydon.”

Ambulances have been struggling in the snow to reach emergency patients, with the LAS warning it can only respond to "life threatening emergencies”.

The extreme weather has put the London Ambulance Service under severe pressure, with more than 2,200 calls received between midnight and midday on Monday – compared to less than 1,500 in the same period last Monday.

The combination of this and difficult driving conditions has meant the Service has taken the decision to only respond to life-threatening calls. The number of these has also been much higher than normal, with more than 400 responded to up to midday.

Acting Director of Operations Richard Webber said: "The extreme weather has placed the London Ambulance Service under severe pressure today and our priority is to get to those patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries as quickly as possible.

"Due to current levels of demand, we will, until further notice, only be sending ambulances to patients across the capital with life-threatening illnesses or injuries.”