INISHOWEN'S
early-morning commuters expressed anger yesterday
after they were caught up in long tailbacks caused
by treacherous icy roads.
Some drivers travelling to work were angry at an
apparent lack of gritting on certain stretches.
Forty-minute tailbacks were reported between Muff
and Burnfoot and between Tooban and Fahan.
Long delays were also reported from Manorcunningham
to Newtowncunningham and from Burt to Bridgend.
A gritting truck was seen on the main Buncrana to
Derry Road between 9am and 10am but drivers said it
was too late in the day to make their journeys any
easier.
Meanwhile, some drivers were forced to pull in or
abandon their cars as impacted snow and ice made
conditions hazardous on a section of the Birdstown
Road between Muff and Burnfoot.
One teacher had to turn back on the Birdstown Road
on her way to work in Buncrana. She was forced to
travel via Derry, Bridgend and Burnfoot only to be
caught again in a long tailback at Fahan. She didn't
arrive at her school until around 10.10am.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed that traffic jams
severely hampered travel on the main Buncrana to
Derry artery and between Muff, Bridgend and Burnfoot
yesterday. However, no accidents were reported.
"It would seem the icy conditions made people slow
down to a funeral pace and drivers exercised extreme
caution. People were delayed alright but there were
no accidents reported to us," said the spokesperson.
Many schools, particularly in the Letterkenny area,
were closed yesterday as a result of the weather. St
Aengus N.S., in Bridgend, closed in the afternoon
and children were collected by their parents and
guardians around lunchtime.
Met Éireann warned that the wintry conditions would
continue in Inishowen for the rest of the week and
into the weekend. Forecaster Michael McAuliffe said
there would be persistent sleet and snow - possibly
heavy - falling on Monday night and into Tuesday.
Temperatures will struggle to get above 0 degrees
Celsius this week, falling to -2 degrees in
sheltered inland spots overnight.
"There will be further wintry showers on Tuesday
night with regular hail and sleet showers on
Wednesday and Thursday. Driving conditions could be
treacherous in some places," said Mr McAuliffe. |
