Cheap Cars

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Britain’s chilly weather is being blamed for a fuel shortage and rise in vehicular accidents in parts of the country.

The government advised motorists not to travel by road for the meantime to conserve gas because of a looming fuel shortage in different parts of Britain. In Scotland, one-third of gas stations were closed because of lack of petrol supply.

Another reason for the warning is the rise in road accidents. Police reported a 50-car pile-up in Greater Manchester that seriously injured one motorist and caused a road closure for several hours. From 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, over 76 vehicle collisions were recorded on Cheshire roads and motorways, particularly in the towns of Warrington, Congleton, Winsford and Macclesfield.

The road accidents were the result of more snowfall across the country as temperatures dropped to minus 12 degrees Celsius (10.4 Fahrenheit), which caused many of the streets to look like skating rinks. Army troops were sent to Edinburgh to clear ice and snow from side streets and pavement.

The Met Office, Britain’s weather bureau, warned Britons to brace for more cold weather for at least one more month. Forecasters said many parts of Britain would fail to even approach zero degrees Celsius (32 F) until mid-January.

Because extremely cold weather since the beginning of the month, observers said winter 2010 could be the country’s worst in a century. Subzero readings of up to minus 18 C (minus 0.4 F) have been recorded in parts of northern England and central Scotland.

The cold weather, in fact, was on the agenda of the British cabinet meeting Thursday. Officials were briefed on the impact of the winter weather, action taken and contingency plans for the remaining chilly days. Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told the cabinet Britain is more prepared for winter this year and has sufficient salt supplies.

View full post on Economy, Business And Finance Stories