A nightmare journey

[lissie]

I have been reading about the snow in Sussex and how motorists have faced
terrible conditions on the roads
I thought about my son as his business is in Crawley and he lives in Eastbourne.
I phoned his home and he answered. He has only been home an hour!!!!!
One of his daughter`s works for him and they left Crawley at 4.30pm yesterday.
They have been stuck for hours at Pease Pottage unable to move.
The roads had`nt been gritted and were like a sheet of ice.
They finally made it to Brighton (where grandaughter lives) at 4.45 this morning.
He had a couple of hours sleep and something to eat and then drove home to
Eastbourne.
He said it was a complete nightmare--nothing to eat and when the car moved it was
sideways!!
He is now going to bed for a sleep (won`t get much as boys are home as school is closed)
We are only 60 miles from him and have no snow at all (fingers crossed)

lissie

[Lozzles]

How awful! At least he is safely home now x

[pederito1]

Dreadful for them Lissie and I thought the councils were supposed to be prepared to keep the roads open this winter. Not as if they did not get a warning of what was coming. A little snow left here but the wind looks terrible, will stay in. and hope there is no more snow to come.

[Aggers]

What a horrible experience.

I would emagine that even if the roads had been gritted, the wind was strong enough to have blownthe grit off.

What horible weather.

Thank heaven he arrived hope safely.

[meriad]

I heard about this on the local news this morning Lissie. As Pedrito says - it's not as though the councils didn't know that bad weather was expected; there have been enough warnings in place so why didn't they grit the road. My rail station has enough salt spread on the ground to last most places the entire season and even the smaller country roads were gritted (a first)... and we didn't have any snow or ice (thankfully)

Surely there must have been another reason than just the icy roads for such a huge jam? very odd

But very glad your son and his daughter got home OK; it must have been a horridly freezing night for them and all others involved

[Ally]

On Sky news this morning people had been stuck on the A23, between Crawley and Brighton, since last night.

Tailbacks of 15 miles.

Eamonn Holmes spoke to Cheryl Baker from her car phone and they hadn't moved so much as an inch in over 2 hours.

[saundra]

its always the same in this country
we are never prepared
why dont drivers have a flask and some food in there cars
yes its difficult when you are driving home
but im sure most shops/offices have a kettle to use
glad your lot are safe now lissie
people are advised by motor organizations
have have warm gear /blankets anyway in there cars

[lissie]

Trouble is he does the journey every day and can do Crawley to Brighton in an hour or less
so gets complacent about it and does`nt even think of getting stuck like that.
I told my sister up north (Rochdale) and she says that people there would`nt dream of
doing a long journey without a hot drink, sandwiches,duvet and a shovel
Trouble is we are not used to it down south.

lissie (think i will buy him a thermos)

[saundra]

iv got some soup i made yesterday
to go in his flask

[cruiser2]

Came back down M6 last night about 10.00 p.m. No sign of gritting lorries and the signs on the motorway warning that they were operating were not lite as they have been in recent weeks. Yet it was colder than when the gritters were out. probably not watching the same weather reports as us mere mortals.