Homes without power as Storm Goretti brings heavy snow

Hundreds of homes were left without power in parts of Staffordshire after Storm Goretti brought heavy snow.

An amber Met Office warning is in place until 09:00 GMT on Friday, with the organisation warning of hazardous conditions on the roads, and rail services also affected.

It came as a row emerged over community gritting bins, which opposition Conservative councillors said the local authority was refusing to refill as it was "running short on stock".

The city council rejected what it called "misinformation" and said a further 600 tonnes of salt would be delivered over Wednesday and Thursday to replenish stocks and refill community grit bins.

Speaking earlier in the day, Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it was facing the "worst snowfall" in 10 years and that resources were being carefully managed.

Deputy leader of Stoke-on-Trent Conservative Group, Faisal Hussain, said the Labour administration had failed to prepare for winter.

"On Monday all councillors received an email advising that the green community grit bins would be re-stocked," he said.

"But by Tuesday afternoon many Conservative councillors were told by a council officer that grit bins wouldn't be getting re-filled as the council is running short on stock."

City of Stoke-on-Trent Council said gritting operations were "particularly intense" and would continue in line with weather conditions, with gritters having used 350 tonnes of salt within 24 hours.

"Unfortunately, we have been made aware of some misinformation circulating regarding the council's salt supplies and gritting operations," a council spokesperson said.

"It simply isn't true that we have run out of grit."

The council said its focus remained on keeping key routes including main roads, bus routes and emergency access routes "safe and operational".

"Community grit bins are provided for use on public roads, pavements and footpaths," it added.

The Met Office said snow could reach up to 10-15cm with the potential for 20-30cm in some areas in the wider region.

West Midlands Railway and Network Rail has asked people to check journeys before travelling.

The rail operators warned passengers across the West Midlands that train services may be delayed as ice could make it difficult for services to run safely.

West Midlands Rail said severe winter weather had a real impact on how the railway operated.

It said: "Snow and ice can build up on the tracks, making it harder for trains to run safely and reliably."

It added that in particularly heavy snowfall, especially when snow settled deeper than about 30cm (11.8in), services may be unable to run safely unless they were specifically equipped to do so.

Meanwhile, the two polar bears at Peak Wildlife Park in Leek, Staffordshire, were seen enjoying the snow when it fell earlier this week.

Nanook and Noori were brought to the site more than two years ago and were continuing to settle in well, according to senior bear keeper Callan Edwards.

A video posted on the park's Facebook page showed Noori rolling around on the snow-covered ground.

Edwards told BBC Radio Stoke: "They are loving it. Noori can barely walk a few steps without having to roll in the snow."

She said the pair were not usually that active at this time of year and would often nap through much of the day.

"Polar bears are actually incredibly seasonal," she said. "They hunt completely differently, they have different levels of activity and this is in the wild as well as at the zoo.

"Although we assume snow and ice is present in the Arctic all year around, if you look at it during the summer, it's not that far off what we get here in Leek.

"So we see lots of fluctuations in activity, appetite and what they want to be doing all through the year, just like they do out in the wild."

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