Gloucestershire fire chief stuck in A23 snow chaos overnight
Gloucestershire's fire chief Jon Hall was stuck in the snow for more than 12 hours overnight.
The rescue boss was among hundreds of motorists trapped in the bitter cold on the A23 and M23 in Sussex.
-
Jon Hall
He was on his way to Brighton for a Local Government Association conference when he hit traffic at about 2.30pm.
He said at least three other fire chiefs were also stuck in the traffic jam.
NEW PROMOTIONS put out each calender month! Dont miss out!
Terms: Terms and conditions are when order is complete in full 5% discount will be given with this voucher!
Contact: 01452 223149
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
Speaking this morning from the safety of his hotel he said: "It was complete gridlock.
"I put on my fire kit and walked up and down and talking to people and making sure they were all warm.
"I was lucky because I was getting good information from police but everybody seemed scared to say we would be here for the night.
"There were constant messages saying it was going to be cleared but we were effectively there overnight."
He said most people had no food or drink and some ran out of fuel and had to get into others people's cars to keep warm.
"I got out at 5am and went to my hotel for a few hours sleep. The promise of a cooked breakfast got me up in time for the conference."
He is heading back to Gloucestershire tomorrow and is keeping his fingers crossed the roads will be clear.
He reassured motorists here there is plan in place if a similar situation happened in our county.
Firefighters are trained to clear roads and work with the Red Cross to get food and drink to drivers.
He added:"Hopefully we won't have to use it but a plan is on the shelf ready to roll."
Comments
by TimMessanger
Tuesday, March 12 2013, 10:45AM
“So there is snow forecast and you are decide to drive over the South Downs? should have driven along the coast, little to no chance of snow disruption!”