Snowfall hits Rochdale

Snow in Rochdale

6 More Image(s) In Gallery

Rochdale has experienced its first real snow fall of the season, with people waking up to a blanket of the white stuff covering gardens, cars, roofs and roads.

With just one week to go until Christmas Day people may now be left wondering if the town is set to have a white Christmas.

Although the snow looks nice, driving conditions have been described by one road user as “dangerous.”

According to the Council’s website, a standard grit of the borough’s road was scheduled to take place at 4.00pm yesterday afternoon (17 December) with another treatment scheduled for 3.00am and 7.00am this morning.

The advice from Transport for Greater Manchester is to ‘plan and prepare for your journey.’

Driving in snow and ice advice from the AA:

• Stopping distances are 10 times longer in ice and snow.
• Gentle manoeuvres are the key to safe driving.
• Wear comfortable, dry shoes: cumbersome, snow-covered boots will slip on the pedals.
• Select second gear when pulling away, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid wheel-spin.
• When climbing a hill it's important to avoid having to stop on the hill by waiting until it is clear of other cars or by leaving plenty of room between you and the car in front. Try to maintain a constant speed, choosing the most suitable gear well in advance to avoid having to change down on the hill.
• When driving downhill, reduce your speed before the hill, use a low gear and try to avoid using the brakes. Leave as much room as possible between you and the car in front.
• Always apply brakes gently. Release them and de-clutch if the car skids.
• If you have an automatic, then under normal driving conditions (motorways, etc) it's best to select 'Drive' and let the gearbox do the work throughout the full gear range. In slippery, snowy conditions you can make driving much safer by selecting '2', which limits the gear changes and also makes you less reliant on the brakes. Many modern autos have a 'Winter' mode which locks out first gear to reduce the risk of wheel spin. Check the handbook if you're not sure.
• If you do get stuck, straighten the steering and clear the snow from the wheels. Put a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels to give the tyres some grip. Once on the move again, try not to stop until you reach firmer ground.

What are you plans for the snow? Will you be building snowmen with the children? Email your photos to news@rochdaleonline.co.uk and we will display the best ones.