http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-ox ... e-21821820

That'll have legs

I thought it was well publicised. I heard about it and I do not watch the TV that much.

Indeed. We all knew the snow was coming.
On a related note...... I've just bought a large snow shovel that was on sale at B&Q.

Now that you have bought it, I guess it will sit in the garage waiting to be used, next year?

There's nothing wrong in buying something like that cheap in the sales just after winter ready for next winter. It's not as if it has a use-by date.

Just like Christmas cards and wrapping paper.

I was not criticising the decision to buy it. It is just that once you do buy something for emergencies you never need it.

TBF, I have a snow shovel and I probably only use it one in three winters. However assuming you have somewhere out of the way you can put it (that is accessible after heavy snow, yes I did learn that lesson) you probably are going to need it eventually. It's not like a fire extinguisher that you keep for an emergency that actually may never happen. In the UK, it pretty much is going to snow heavily enough for you to need it sooner or later.

Jon

Drive to the conditions retard.

It's strange. Given that only the last three winters in the last twenty years have had proper snow, you'd expect old drivers (from when it snowed every year) to be better at driving in it.
That's not my experience. Pensioners seem to be an absolute disaster on wheels when it snows.

When I was last in Sweden the snows reached down to southern Sweden and they were struggling with the snow and ice. TV reports showed the usual cars sliding down hills, whereas in northern Sweden they drive with spiked winter tyres and barely any problems. I think that you need regular experience to maintain your skills. The problem is in the UK they do not get that. Also the cars might be substantially different so that might mean changes to driving techniques.

"almost went into a half spin"?
So, it was a quarter spin? Three eighths, maybe? Perhaps, the back end twitched a little, causing your back end to twitch, and you're over-egging it?

+1

As to the article - How on earth did we manage before detailed forecasting? Local Authority Highways managers who do little more than rely on a weather forecast aren't really managers.