WTE Ltd. staff can't get to work!

The main road has been closed due to ice causing multiple accidents this morning - all avoidable if the Council had gritted the road. Why CLOSE the road - why not simply GRIT it!!

- Maureen Webb

We have now been back for 3 days and we have managed to clear tracks for vehicles but there is so much we cannot clear the bulk of it. As you can see there is 250 – 300mm of snow lying on the stock! (Pictures opposite.) Our bulk bags of sand etc are completely frozen throughout – like huge blocks of concrete!

We have been able to make some deliveries of timber and internal products but without a huge thaw our HBM stocks will be staying where they are. Let’s hope we get some milder weather soon.

- Steven Clark of Buildbase, Airdrie

Our factory is based on one of the 7 hills in Sheffield and it has been very difficult to get in each day this week because of the roads. Now I don't want to do this nation down, but 2 weeks ago I was in Germany, where it was -20C and over a ft of snow had fallen... and everything carried on as usual. Roads cleared, even minor roads. Schools did not close, nobody thought about staying off work... it just seems we all panic when it snows. Anybody got any rocksalt left?

- Richard Brankin of Mission Couplings

Yes, it's snowy, cold, and icy. I live in a town where I have to cross a national park to reach my place of work, a journey of 40 miles round trip. So far, I've endured snowy, icy roads, got stuck once and got home at 7.45pm, but made it to work every day. However, due to media 'scare mongering' another member of staff who lives much closer (5 miles away) in the other direction, driving on main roads except for a 50 yard journey off his drive, which has been, for the main part, completley clear for the past week. He phoned in, stating he wasn't risking the icy weather. I say the media has a lot to do with the cost to our employers, and should start to be much more responsible in their reporting. I'm just old enough to remember the freeze of 1963. That WAS cold! But even then, people made it to work purely because they didnt have news reports to scare them into staying at home and watching Mister J. Kyle and his Chavs, a popular telly program, made so by societies idle lot today.

On another note, we've been told by our suppliers that rock salt is not available (we ran out before Christmas)as supplies have been diverted to local authorities and the highways agency. Last night I couldn't believe my eyes, when I saw a woman scooping bucket loads of rock salt from a grit box at the side of a large public car park and putting it in the boot of her car. Do people have any morals left???

Get the unemployed to clear the roads!

- Colin Nutley

We had heavy snow in Bristol causing major problems on Tuesday morning. Despite the heavy snow fall staff living near the branch walked to work, however conditions were extremely dangerous and the decision was taken not to open the branch for safety reasons. On Wednesday the majority of staff managed to get in to work, with some digging themselves out from snow covered drives and side streets.

The 4 acre site was still in about 150mm deep of snow. So lots of staff got themselves a shovel, and with the help of a digger from our Toolhire dept, we managed to clear paths and road ways to safely open the branch back up by lunchtime. We are delivering to customers where access to sites is safe, however many sites have closed for the week, and side streets are virtually impossible to access safely.

I would like to say a huge thanks to all the staff that pulled out the stops to get to work, and get us back up and running to service our customers.

- Tim James of Keyline Builders Merchants

We're seeing far more Tractors and Land Rovers in the yards than normal; at times resembling more of a cattle market than a builders merchant.

In addition, as suppliers to many self employed tradesmen who are hardest hit when they cannot work, we’re hearing of situations where they’ve have had to drive miles by tractor to even get to their jobs.

Frozen pipes and broken boilers have resulted in a busy period for the plumbing department and our advertising is specifically targeting internal improvements such as decorating and tiling. Saying that, wellies are selling well – if only to those staff who managed to get in; the changing room is full of rucksacks, wellies and emergency overnight changes of clothing.

- Rachel Fryers of Merritt and Fryers Builders merchants

We've managed to stay open. We had it very badly on Monday and Tuesday, to the extent that we had to close at one o'clock on the Tuesday, to ensure that staff got home safely, but since then, we've all managed to get in.

Unfortunately, we're not getting much through in the way of business - I think customers are battening down the hatches and waiting for it all to clear.

- Terry Beadle of Barnsley Buildbase

Well as you would expect footfall has reduced somewhat. We have managed to stay open though, and have capitalised on the demand for rock salt, managing to get several arctic loads in before the big freeze but running low now.

We have also mangaged to keep our deliveries to customers flowing. Kitchen, bathroom and other internal products are continuing to sell well. For other departments where its been a little quiet it's been catch up time.

- TBS Building supplies Ltd