LIVE BLOG: Freezing conditions continue to cause chaos across south and east London

Photo by S Bhogal

Snow is causing chaos across south and east London as rail travel is suspended and schools closed. The East London line and Southeastern rail are offering a skeleton service to increasingly frustrated passengers. The routes serving south, east and central London are currently blighted by cancellations and hold ups.

As the third day of snow hits the capital ELL is providing up to date information and please email news@eastlondonlines.co.uk with your snow stories

For the latest live blog click here.

18.30: Reports are coming in that some schools will not be opening tomorrow, to check individual schools in each borough please see the list here.

18.15: YourCroydon on Twitter has been putting out facts on Croydon Council’s gritting effort. Over 4,500 tonnes of salt has been placed on Croydon roads since last Thursday covering over 11,000 miles, 50 staff are working in shifts 24 hours a day to grit the roads and another 240 staff are out every day clearing snow from the pavement.

18.00 – OK, so it’s 6pm and perhaps time for a little light relief. Check out this article on the Daily Mail website for an intensive overview of the snow action that took place today, including pictures, maps, news and a video.

17.55: Weather update: Temperatures to hit lows of 1c – 4c. Though Lewisham may escape any more snow.

17.42: Goldsmiths students should keep an eye on their college emails. The college may close tomorrow, but will confirm after 8am tomorrow. As reported by the MyGoldsmiths twitter.

17.40: Croydon Feed on Twitter is reporting up to 19in of snow. Whopping!

17.37: All About Croydon has just reported that trains from Croydon to London will be stopping around 9pm.

17.31: The latest announcement by the Met Office? Heavy snow until 11pm. Great for building snowmen, less good for doing anything else. Should we just cancel Friday?

17.24: Croydon Visitor Centre is running a taxi club until 6pm for anyone that is having trouble getting home. Sounds like a fantastic scheme.

17.20: Onionwoman has just tweeted: “More snow today, now 12in deep outside, no trains south of E.Croydon.”

17.18: The Met Office has reported that temperatures are set to stay low over the weekend. More snow, as well as rain and sleet are expected.

17.12: Our crew are back with caffeine. Crisis averted.

17.06: An AA spokesman has confirmed that call-outs to broken down vehicles are up 40 per cent due to the snow. Drivers, please stay safe.

16:58: Bus services in Lewisham and Croydon have been badly affected by the adverse weather conditions. There are no reports of significant travel curtailment in Tower Hamlets or Hackney. Here is the latest list of affected services from TfL.

Check the TfL site for the latest updates.

LEWISHAM

ROUTE 47: Not serving stops in Redriff Road and Surrey Quays Road due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 53: Diverted via Woolwich due to adverse weather conditions. Delays expected.

ROUTE 54: Curtailed to Lewisham due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 89: Diverted missing Prince Of Wales Road, Montpelier Row, Montpelier Vale, Blackheath Village, Lee Terrace, Belmont Hill, Lee Bridge. Also curtailed to Bexleyheath Garage missing Colyers Lane, Northend Road, Circumnavigate Roundabout, Northend Road, Bridge Road, Slade Green Road, Hazel Road, Moat Lane, Forest Road due to adverse weather conditions. Also, Colliers Lane closed. Buses are serving Slade Green via Erith.

ROUTE 108: Buses are diverted and are not serving Prince Of Wales Road, Montpelier Row, Montpelier Vale, Blackheath Village, Lee Terrace, Belmont Hill or Lee Bridge due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 176: Operating between Chipstead Valley and West Croydon. No service to Banstead due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 194: Curtailed to Penge, unable to serve Shirley Way due to adverse weather conditions. No service between Penge and Sydenham and not serving Bridle Road due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 343: Curtailed to Peckham Rye due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 380: Not serving Lewisham Hill and Blackheath Village due to adverse weather conditions.

CROYDON

ROUTE 3: Not serving Crystal Palace Parade/College Road towards Crystal Palace due to adverse weather conditions. Buses towards Oxford Circus will serve this bus stop as it is in the downhill direction. Please be advised that the road is due to be gritted.

ROUTE 64: Running between Addington Village Interchange to Selsdon and Thornton Heath to West Croydon due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 68: Subject to delays due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE X68: Curtailed to West Norwood Bus Garage due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 130: No service between Addington Village Interchange and New Addington and between Norwood Junction and West Croydon due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 166: Operating between Chipstead Valley and West Croydon. No service to Banstead due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 176: Operating between Chipstead Valley and West Croydon. No service to Banstead due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 194: Curtailed to Penge, unable to serve Shirley Way due to adverse weather conditions. No service between Penge and Sydenham and not serving Bridle Road due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 227: Curtailed to West Norwood Bus Garage due to adverse weather conditions.Diverted via Manor Way at Beckenham due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 246: This route has been suspended by the operator Selkent due to adverse weather conditions. Diverted between Bromley North and Hayes Station due to weather conditions.

ROUTE 354: This route has been suspended by the operator Selkent due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 363: Curtailed to Peckham Rye due to adverse weather conditions. Wood Vale and Sydenham Hill unusable.

ROUTE 367: Not serving Shirley Oaks, Village Way, Shortlands due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 405: Operating West Croydon to Hooley and South Croydon to Purley missing out Warham Road and Pampisford Road .

ROUTE 407: Curtailed to Whyteleaf due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 410: Due to adverse weather, buses are not serving bus stops in Christie Drive or Towpath Way in Selhurst.

ROUTE 412: No service between South Croydon and Purley due to adverse weather. Also not serving Sugar & Loaf bus stop (G) and Ruskin Parade/South Croydon Rail Stn (stop F). Curtailed at Swan and Sugarloaf due to adverse weather conditions.

ROUTE 466: No service between Coulsdon and Caterham-on-the-Hill due to adverse weather conditions. Buses are running between Addington and Coulsdon (Brighton Road) only.

ROUTE 468: Curtailed to West Norwood due to adverse weather conditions.

16.55: 561 addresses in Hackney have suffered a power cut which began at midday today. Full story from the Hackney Gazette here.

16.40: Croydon services are doing very well today. Following the concerted police effort reported earlier, the borough’s health and council facilities are battling the elements and staying open. See the Croydon Guardian article here.

16.35: Students at Goldsmiths college are panicking; some of the key on-campus coffee shops have closed due to the snow. For some of our journalists, this could be breaking point.

16.30: British Waterways have warned those walking along its towpaths to be careful, as reported by the Hackney Gazette.

15.58: A bit of bad news for Millwall fans. The Evening with Mike Calvin event tonight has been cancelled, as has the Lions Live show. More info at Millwall Supporters Club. The Den and the club shop are also now closed.

15.53: Southern are running a service between London Bridge and East Croydon every half an hour. Nothing south of East Croydon though.

15.40: The Evening Standard has reported that Mayor Boris Johnson has come under fire for attending the World Cup bid announcement instead of taking charge of the snow chaos in London here.

15.38: Russia have got the 2018 World Cup. Football fans won’t be getting warmer any time soon.

15.36: Irenza has just tweeted: “We still plan to open slimming world in Addiscombe, Croydon on Saturday – the snow won’t stop us losing weight!” Good to hear people are keeping positive! Once the weekend comes, we might be able to enjoy the snow!

15.35: Most leisure centres in Tower Hamlets are running a normal service, including the John Orwell Sports Centre, the Langdon Park Leisure Centre, St George’s Pool, Whitechapel Sports Centre and York Hall Leisure Centre. Mile End Park Stadium has closed all its outdoor facilities but indoor activities are operating as usual.

15.30: Sorry for the delay, we’ve been updating our photos. Please send your pictures to news@eastlondonlines.co.uk – if it’s anything to do with snow, we’d like to see it!

15.10: London ambulance services have been affected by the snow. The NHS are advising people with minor injuries and illnesses to seek advice over the phone so that serious cases can be dealt with more quickly. The hotline is 0845 4647. Emergency calls have risen by 13 per cent in the last two days. The full NHS press release is here.

14.58: Please stay safe in the wintry weather; beware burst pipes and icy gremlins, as reported by the BBC here.

14.35: Many schools were shut along the East London line today, see each council website or check individual schools on a full list here.

14:25: A Hackney Council spokesman says that no frontline council services are currently affected by the weather. He said: “The weather’s not that bad here anymore, everyone has made it into work at the council offices, and I can’t see any snow outside.” The council spokesperson did advise that local residents checked the Hackney Council site for regular updates in case the situation worsens.

14.13: Croydon Council also have a page on their website detailing the changes to council services. The main points are no refuse or recycling collection, only emergency housing repairs such as no heating or hot water are being seen to, learning disability day centres are open but not providing transport while old people day centres are closed but the most vulnerable people are being visited at home. All leisure centres are open apart from the Croydon Arena.

14.00: The DLR is running a good service and is backed by Hayjane on Twitter, “The DLR hasn’t let me down so far. It’s the way forward. Literally.”

13.45: In Lewisham, refuse and recycling services have been suspended until conditions improve, libraries in the borough will be open until 5pm. The Door2Door coach and minibus service is not running today. The Sydenham and Grove Park Assemblies will not be held this evening.

In terms of leisure centres, they are all open but with reduced services:

  • Ladywell Leisure Centre – the main pool is open but the teaching pool is closed.
  • Wavelengths Leisure Centre – the leisure pool is open but the training pool is closed.
  • Ladywell Arena – the outdoor track is closed.
  • Downham Health and Leisure Centre will close at the earlier time of 6.30pm

13:32: Libraries in Croydon will now be shutting at 3:30pm, Croydon Council has announced on Twitter.

13.20: The gardeners might be next if the snow doesn’t defrost soon… Nice shots from Deptford Allotments and Gardens Association here.

13.08: In terms of trains and the Underground, the East London line running between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate, but the service to New Cross is not. Anywhere toward West Croydon or Crystal Palace is currently a no go. The Underground looks good, so that means happy travelling down below and there is also a full Tram service in Croydon. Southeastern emergency timetable here.

All About Croydon has just tweeted: “Just to update: stopping train from East Croydon to London Bridge is running around every half hour.”

13.01: Tajasel just tweeted from New Cross: “At New Cross, trying to get to work. Just seen a Southeastern train with icicles causing enormous sparks on contact with 3rd rail.” The third rail is the one which provides electricity to the trains and is what’s causing a lot of trouble, as explained by Tom Edwards on the BBC website here.

13.00: Southeastern emergency timetable here.

12.55: Croydon Guardian have reported that Croydon police are ‘out in force’ despite the conditions, here.

12.45: Those wishing to travel with Southeastern today should probably think again. No services or major disruption across their network. The London Bridge to Gillingham via Sidcup, Woolwich and Bexleyheath train is going, albeit with severe delay. Check before traveling.

Anyone peeved at Southeastern (and it seems there are a few of you) might like to spend a couple minutes perusing the 853 blog, based in south east London. Blog comment on the Southeastern franchise here and on local MP reaction here.

12.00: There is a shuttle service in operation between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate and no trains to New Cross. It is supposed to run every 15 minutes but waiting time can be over half an hour. All trains going to New Cross will terminate at Canada Water.

All trains are suspended between New Cross Gate and West Croydon/Crystal Palace. Passengers are strongly advised to find another route. There are no trains from any company going further south than New Cross.

There are severe delays on the Circle, Hammersmith and City, District and Jubilee lines. The DLR is also suffering from a reduced service because of the snow.

Southeastern, which runs trains to New Cross, Catford, Deptford, Blackheath, Lewisham and East Croydon, are operating an extremely limited number of services from their contingency timetable today. Most mainline lines of route do not have any services.

Forecasters have said snow showers will continue mostly in the south and east of the capital throughout the morning with temperatures staying below freezing in most places.

Parents in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Croydon and Lewisham are advised to check school and council websites for possible closures.

Snow chaos creates panic buying in Croydon

Please check back for further updates; East London Lines will be reporting the latest news throughout the day.

If you have a snow story please let us know – send us your photos and words to news@eastlondonlines.co.uk

Additional reporting: Chris Stevenson and Germaine Arnold

Yesterday we asked for some photos of the snowfall in your area, here’s a few you sent in. Keep them coming!

Photo 1 is from Heather Bishop, photos 2, 3, and 4 are from Barry Shaw, number 5 is from blogger Raven, photo 6 comes from Alex J Pink,  and pictures 7, 8, 9, 10 are from Lorenza Samuels on Twitter, picture 11 is from Sunjay Bhogal, and photos 12, 13, 14, and 15 are from Jean Duke.

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