Afternoon summary
Here’s a summary of the day’s news so far:
Three boys died after being pulled from an icy lake. A fourth was taken to hospital in a critical condition and remains “very poorly”, police said. Officers were investigating claims a fifth and a sixth child may have gone into the water, though they stressed they’ve had no reports of any more missing children.
Police have told how an officer tried to punch through ice covering the lake to get to the children. The officer was said to have suffered from mild hypothermia and has now recovered.
The lowest temperature seen in the UK so far this year was recorded in Aberdeenshire. The temperature in Braemar got as low as -15.7C overnight, the Met Office said.
There were fears the UK’s energy supply could be threatened by a surge in usage during the cold weather. Wind speeds dropped, meaning that was a less effective means of generating electricity, and two “winter contingency coal units” were initially put on standby to shore up the supply. They were stood down shortly before lunchtime as the picture improved, though.
Airports warned passengers to check their latest flight statuses before departing after both Gatwick and Stansted had to close their runways to clear snow on Sunday. The airports serving London were among many elements of transport infrastructure to struggle to cope with the cold weather, which was expected to persist for several more days.
After heavy snowfall, road users in the south-east of England were being asked not to travel unless it was essential. While much of the rail network around London was affected, today was actually expected to be the easiest to catch a train this week, with four days of strikes starting from Tuesday.
We’re pausing this live blog now, but we’ll return to it should there be substantial updates later in the day.
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Dozens of people, including many schoolchildren, have placed bunches of flowers in tribute to the three boys at the base of a tree near the northern entrance to Babbs Mill nature park. Katie O’Driscoll, who was accompanied by her five-year-old daughter, laid a bunch. The mother of four said:
Anyone that has got kids can really relate to that we feel heartbroken as a community. The whole community cares – they will be kids that we know because we are a close-knit community. It’s affected everybody. It’s devastating and it’s sad.
Among the tributes was one from the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, with a card attached reading:
Such a tragedy. My heart goes out to the families who have lost their most precious gift. May their young lives rest in peace and may Kingshurst come together to remember them.
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Watch our video report on the heavy snow that has caused widespread travel disruption.
Here’s a little more detail from that police press conference. Harris told reporters:
We have to be 100% certain that there is no one else possibly in the water at this time.
It’s important to stress though that we’ve had no contact from anybody suggesting that there’s anybody else missing but until we’re 100% certain we will be carrying on searches throughout the course of today.
Police officers did go into the water. They were joined by other members of the other emergency services. Some of the officers went in waist deep.
One of my officers was trying to punch through the ice to actually rescue the children themselves. That officer as a result of that had some mild hypothermia yesterday. I’m pleased to say that he’s now been released from hospital and he’s absolutely fine.
Families affected by the tragedy are “absolutely devastated”, he said, adding:
Also this time of year, it’s on the run-up to Christmas, so close to the event itself, also adds to that tragedy. But, as you can imagine, the families are absolutely devastated, which is why we’re doing our very best to support the families.
And obviously we’re abiding by their requests at the moment as to how much information that the families want us to make available to the media so we’re doing everything we possibly can to support them.
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West Midlands fire service area commander Richard Stanton, who also spoke at the Solihull press conference, said the boys’ deaths were a “stark reminder to us all of the dangers of open water”.
He said the boys’ deaths were a “tragedy beyond words”, and urged parents and carers to “remind children of the dangers of ice and why they must keep off it”.
”Frozen lakes, ponds, canals and reservoirs can look picturesque but they can be lethal,” he said.
He added that the fire service had worked closely with the police, with firefighters entering water alongside police officers and members of the public to rescue the boys. They were followed later by specialist teams wearing PPE. No firefighters sustained injuries.
He said Babbs Mill Park park lake was large and it took rescue teams some time to identify the spot where the boys had entered the water.
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Police in Solihull say survivor of lake incident still 'very poorly'
A police and fire service press conference has just taken place in Solihull after three boys died after falling into a frozen lake on Sunday.
West Midlands police superintendent Richard Harris read a short statement, in which he said officers were quick to respond at the scene yesterday, wading waist-deep into the lake without cold weather gear and without regard for their own safety to try to rescue the children.
He added that although reports had circulated yesterday evening suggesting young people who may have been in the lake didn’t match those who were rescued, the service will make “100% certain there is no one else possibly in the water at this time”, noting that there has been no further reports of missing children.
The sole survivor is still “very poorly”, he said, but the families have requested that no further detail be shared about the incident yet. He said they are “absolutely devastated”.
One police officer was hospitalised for hypothermia after attempting to punch through ice to release the children, but has since been discharged, he said.
The force is still trying to piece together what happened. They were called at 2.34pm yesterday and arrived at the scene within minutes, but it’s still unclear how long the children were in the lake for. There are no plans to launch a criminal investigation.
He passed on “our deepest sympathies” to the families following “the tragic circumstances of yesterday afternoon”. He said specialist officers were support ing the families as well as children in local schools.
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The picture appears to be improving for the energy system, where National Grid has stood down two coal-fired power units which were put on standby earlier today.
The units at the huge Drax power station in North Yorkshire had been put on alert to provide extra power supplies.
However, industry sources said the units will not now need to be used as Great Britain’s energy supplies can be met by other sources. The amount of wind power generated is expected to increase later today.
Coal-fired power stations that are not part of the emergency plans are still providing some power today, accounting for about 3% of electricity generation.
A planned test of National Grid’s “demand flexibility service”, which incentivises households and businesses to reduce energy use, is still expected to go ahead this evening.
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Here’s the statement from West Midlands police:
Three boys have tragically died after falling into the lake at Babbs Mill Park in Solihull yesterday afternoon.
The boys, aged 11, 10 and eight, were rushed to hospital after being pulled from the water.
Sadly, they could not be revived and our thoughts are with their family and friends at this deeply devastating time. We’ll have specialist officers offering them as much support as we can.
A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.
We’ve been working alongside colleagues from the fire and ambulance services as we do all we can to support those involved.
Searches of the lake are continuing as we seek to establish exactly what happened and if anyone else fell into the water.
We understand how distressing this is for the families and the wider community.
We would ask people to not speculate or share any video footage at this stage.
A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital while officers continue to search the lake to establish whether anyone else fell into the water, officers have said.
Three children die after falling into lake
Three boys, aged 11, 10 and eight years, have died after being pulled from an icy lake in Solihull on Sunday, West Midlands police have said.
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The M25 and all other motorways in the south-east and east of England have reopened, National Highways said, as heavy snow overnight closed roads. The road orbiting London had been shut for several hours in Hertfordshire because of snow and jack-knifed lorries.
Gritters, snowploughs and emergency services have reopened all roads in the region, with the M11, M2, M20, A21 and A249 having all been shut or working with heavy delays, with almost six inches (15cm) of snow in parts.
National Highways urged motorists to drive with care because of icy conditions.
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Despite the heavy snowfall in the south-east of England, today will be their best chance of catching a train this week for most, with four days of strikes starting from Tuesday.
The wintry conditions have affected services in the region, with several inches of snow overnight around London, Anglia and Kent. Operators were struggling to run services on some lines and Southeastern trains issued a “do not travel” warning this morning. There was also significant disruption on services run by Greater Anglia, South Western Railway and Southern. East Midlands Trains were also delayed due to a freight train having derailed at low speed and blocking the line.
While freezing conditions have also caused minor disruption to some early trains in Scotland, which has been coping with snow for some days, most train services across the rest of Britain were not affected by the weather; albeit with some delays and passengers warned to take care in places where sub-zero temperatures have made platforms treacherous.
A new weekday timetable was introduced on Monday, after the official changeover of schedules on Sunday. That means that some operators – notably Avanti West Coast – successfully ran more services in the last 24 hours than last week – and were expecting to see more trains overall running today than last Monday, despite numerous cancellations and delays out of Euston this morning.
However, services across Britain will be massively disrupted from Tuesday because of the latest rail strike, with RMT members at Network Rail and 14 train operators walking out for two 48-hour stretches on 13-14 and 16-17 December, with services on 15 and 18 December also affected.
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As overnight temperatures dropped to -15.7C in Aberdeenshire, Bear South East Trunk Roads tweeted that a -11.3C road surface temperature and air temperatures of -14.7C were recorded on the A702.
A Met Office yellow weather warning of snow and ice for the north of Scotland is in force until midday on Monday while a warning of ice and fog in Dumfries and Galloway is valid until 11am.
Yellow warnings of snow and ice have been issued for northern Scotland from midday on Tuesday until noon on Thursday. The weather caused disruption to travel on Monday and also led to school closures in the Highlands.
Traffic Scotland said that the snow gates at Cock Bridge and Tomintoul on the A939 remain closed and advised motorists to take care and drive to the conditions.
On the railways, engineers dealt with an overhead line fault and a signalling fault at Haymarket in Edinburgh, which was believed to have been caused by icicles. Network Rail Scotland later tweeted:
Our overhead line staff have now removed icicles from tunnels which were believed to be causing the failure. The line has now reopened.
In the Highlands, several schools and nurseries were closed due to bad weather while a school in Aberdeenshire was also shut.
The weather alert for Tuesday to Thursday warns that wintry showers will affect many areas of northern Scotland and parts of north-east England. Forecasters said that a few centimetres of snow are likely to accumulate at low levels with the potential for as much as 15-20cm over higher ground.
Ice is likely to form on untreated surfaces, mainly where some of the showers fall as sleet close to coasts. Some roads and railways are likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services, forecasters warned.
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National Grid puts coal contingency units on standby
The freezing conditions have put a strain on Great Britain’s already under-pressure energy system, as Britons crank up the heating.
Wind speeds dropped as the cold weather arrived, reducing electricity generated from windfarms and increasing Britain’s reliance on gas-fired power stations. Live National Grid data this morning shows 57% of Great Britain’s power is being generated by gas, 14% from nuclear and just 4% by wind.
The price for power at 5-6pm tonight, typically the time of peak power demand each day, has passed an all-time high of £2,586 a megawatt-hour.
National Grid’s Electricity System Operator (ESO) has said today that two “winter contingency coal units” will be available if required on Monday.
The government signed a series of deals to keep coal units that were due to close on standby this winter. Ministers were concerned a shortage of gas in Europe, as a result of the war in Ukraine.
National Grid also has the option to offer households and businesses financial incentives to cut their power use at peak times. It has not called on this service in response to weather conditions yet, but coincidentally a test of the scheme is taking place tonight.
National Grid warned in October that severe conditions this winter could trigger power cuts but there is no suggestion yet that this is likely. Many people had been cutting their energy consumption or keeping the heating off in the face of high bills, but the cold weather may test that resolve.
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We reported earlier on the disruption at airports in south-eastern England, with both Gatwick and Stansted closing their runways on Sunday to clear snow.
About 90 departures were cancelled from Gatwick between midday and midnight on Sunday, with at least a further 37 axed on Monday. EasyJet was the worst affected.
Both airports are open this morning, but passengers are being warned about the potential for further delays. An easyJet spokesperson said the airline was “doing everything possible” to ease the disruption for passengers.
Airlines operating to and from the UK today are experiencing some disruption to their flying programmes due to adverse weather, with a number of cancellations at Luton and Gatwick airports which are both affected by snow.
Flights were also affected yesterday as snow closures affected Manchester, Liverpool, London Gatwick and London Luton airports with some flight cancellations and diversions.
We are doing all possible to minimise the disruption for our customers, including providing hotel rooms and meals for those passengers affected by the cancellations.
Customers on cancelled flights have been provided the option of a free transfer to an alternative flight or a refund. While this is outside of our control, we would like to apologise to customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the weather.
London City airport has said it is experiencing some disruption this morning due to aircraft being out of position after the “significant amount of cancellations” on Sunday night.
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Aberdeenshire sees year's lowest temperature
Sunday night brought the lowest temperature recorded in the UK all year to one part of Scotland. Braemar, in Aberdeenshire, experienced a low of -15.7C, the Met office has said.
Daniel Duffield, a 22-year-old off-duty paramedic, was stuck on the M25 for more than two-and-a-half hours this morning, while attempting to travel home to Birmingham from London.
He told PA Media that vehicles have been “stationary with very small movement”.
I expected some traffic due to weather but nothing this bad. Traffic appeared to be at a standstill for miles and miles. Other drivers were turning their engines off presumably to save fuel due to the uncertainty. A few people were stretching their legs due to delays too.
He added that the road doesn’t appear to have been gritted.
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The number of breakdown callouts is around 25% higher than normal, the AA’s president Edmund King has said.
Many drivers were stranded or severely delayed on the northern section of the M25 last night between London Colney and the M11.
Traffic is still severely delayed there this morning due to the continuous snow fall. Roads in Kent were also severely affected including the M2, and M20. The conditions show that it is essential to be prepared if you are driving.
He urged drivers to check fuel levels and take warm clothing, a charged mobile phone, food and drink.
The best advice if you must drive is to take it easy and leave a much longer distance from the vehicle in front.
Drivers on the M25 were stranded for several hours due to the UK’s busiest motorway being closed in both directions between Junction 23 for South Mimms and Junction 25 for Waltham Cross, both in Hertfordshire.
National Highways said the carriageway will be “cleared and treated as soon as possible”.
There are delays of up to 90 minutes on neighbouring stretches of the motorway.
Other roads in the area with long delays include the M11, M2, A21, A27 and A249, according to National Highways.
Sussex police have issued a warning of “treacherous” roads.
Several rail lines have also been shut, with Southeastern issuing a “do not travel” alert to passengers. There was also major disruption to services run by Greater Anglia, South Western Railway and Southern.
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The snow and ice have caused severe disruption across the whole of Network Rail’s infrastructure in south-eastern England overnight, and delays to journeys will continue today, the organisation has said.
To allow Network Rail to check that the rails are clear of snow and ice, which can prevent trains from drawing power from the electric rail, the first trains in each direction on all routes will be cancelled. We also have many trains in the wrong location after last night’s disruption, which will cause further cancellations to services across the network.
Yellow warnings of snow and ice affecting millions of people are in place in parts of south-eastern England, as well as the northernmost areas of Scotland.
The snow’s likely to continue to cause problems in the latter until Thursday, forecasters said, while the former is likely to be dealing with icy conditions until Tuesday.
Ice and fog is forecast for millions more in western areas of England, including around the Welsh border, an area in the country’s east stretching from Lincolnshire to County Durham, and throughout all of Northern Ireland. Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said:
It will continue to be a very cold day, with maximum temperatures of 1C to 4C on Sunday, and, as we head into the evening, we see persistent rain, sleet or snow in the far south-east of England, which is what we have a yellow warning out for from 6pm on Sunday.
We could see 2cm to 5cm (of snow), perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected, with areas most exposed such as North and South Downs and higher ground going to see the more significant accumulations.
There will be ice forming, particularly near to the coast where there is rain and sleet, and freezing temperatures which could cause some travel disruption to start Monday with that valid until 9am.
Ayers said that, although cold temperatures, freezing fog and wintry showers are expected through the week, cloud cover could prevent some of the more extreme temperatures experienced in recent days.
She added that there is a possibility of slightly milder conditions arriving next weekend but it is too early to be certain. The AA has advised motorists to adjust their driving to the freezing conditions on Monday morning.
Airports warn passengers to check latest flight status before departing
Airports are also being affected, with both Gatwick and Stansted having to close their runways to clear snow on Sunday. The latter said:
London Stansted Airport’s runway is currently closed to allow for snow clearance due to weather conditions and all flights are currently suspended. Delays to flights were experienced earlier due to de-icing of aircraft which is a ground handler’s responsibility and safety of aircraft and passengers is paramount. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for current status of their flights.
Gatwick tweeted:
Sunday 11/ Monday 12 December: Snow and freeezing weather may cause disruption at the airport. Passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline - and also local travel conditions - before departing for the airport.
— Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 11, 2022
The airport is open and flights are operating however snow and freezing weather is causing some delays and cancelations at the airport today. Passengers are advised to check flight status with their airline - and also local travel conditions - before departing for the airport.
— Gatwick Airport LGW (@Gatwick_Airport) December 12, 2022
Newspaper distribution, including of The Times and The Sun, experienced significant disruption overnight which may flow on into delivery delays “in many parts of the country”.
News UK said severe weather in the south-eastern England had impacted Newsprinters in Broxbourne.
We apologise to retailers and customers who are not able to get a copy of their usual newspaper. Newsprinters will make continued efforts to deliver newspapers to retailers during Monday. Please follow our websites and apps for news and further updates
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Road users in south-east England asked not to travel unless essential
Road users in the south-east of England are being asked by National Highways not to travel unless it’s essential, due to heavy snowfall overnight, with up to 10cm of snow having been forecast.
Kent was being particularly hard hit, with snow severely affecting the M2, the M20 around junctions 8 and 9, as well as the A21 and the A249, with drivers struggling to get through, the organisation said. Speaking last night, National Highways duty operations manager for the region Gina Oxley, said:
We have been out gritting throughout the afternoon and we’re continuing to treat routes so we can reach the worst-affected areas and support our customers with their journeys.
For anyone thinking of travelling tonight, our advice would be not to unless absolutely essential as heavy snow is expected to continue until 9am.
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Cameron McVittie, a tactical commander with West Midlands ambulance service, said:
On being rescued, the four children were taken under blue lights to hospital with an advanced care team. Two were taken to Birmingham children’s hospital and two to Heartlands in Birmingham. All four children were in critical condition on arrival.
Unfortunately, the children in the water were in cardiac arrest and were receiving advanced life support en route to hospital.
The press conference heard that one of the police officers suffered mild hypothermia and is making a full recovery in hospital.
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Children rescued from lake in Solihull
Four children were taken to hospital in critical condition after being rescued from a lake in Solihull in the West Midlands, having fallen through ice on Sunday afternoon. Richard Stanton, the area commander for the West Midlands fire and rescue service, said:
We know that the weather forecast for the next few days is expected to be bitterly cold. Please, adults and children alike, stay away from open water, under no circumstances venture on to ice regardless how thick or safe you think this ice may be.
The children were pulled from the water in cardiac arrest, while a search operation was launched amid fears two more children were involved in the incident.
Emergency services were called to Babbs Mill Park in Kingshurst, a nature park in Solihull, at 2.36pm on Sunday. Last night, Stanton told a press conference:
When our firefighters arrived, a number of police officers and members of the public were in the water trying to reach and rescue the children.
Our crews entered the water, swam to the first child and our specialist-trained firefighters, including technical rescue, rescued three further children.
The children were brought out of the water where they received immediate life-support care from firefighters and our ambulance colleagues.
He later added that they were “made aware there were up to six people in the water” when firefighters arrived.
So, after rescuing the four children, we have continued the search and rescue operation to confirm whether there were any more in the water. The specialist medical advice we have been given on the scene, given the temperature of the water, given the age of those who entered the water and the amount of time they have been in there, this would no longer be a search and rescue operation.
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Transport warnings as snow hits
Travel disruption is expected to push into Monday’s morning rush-hour, with yellow warnings of ice, fog and snow in place for much of the UK.
The Met Office issued the alerts as temperatures were expected to stay well below freezing overnight and combine with wintry showers to create icy conditions. Forecaster say problems caused by snow, ice and fog are likely to persist throughout the week.
Snowfall on Sunday evening forced airports to close runways and left drivers struggling to get through.
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