People in Ireland have been bracing for the ‘Beast from the East’ – by bulk buying bread. A video taken in Dublin shows shoppers rushing to stock up on a loaf or two to tide them over as now and bitter winds continue to batter the UK.
Blizzard conditions predicted by forecasters have led to panic buying, with supermarket shelves cleared out of bread and milk in many areas. Such is the demand, ‘breadwatch’ begun trending on Twitter as a response to those panic bulk buying for the storm. Naturally, people were poking fun:
Although bulk buying bread may seem extreme, Brits have been warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary.
Sub-zero temperatures left many drivers stranded as thick blankets of snow and treacherous icy conditions. Storm Emma, rolling in from the Atlantic, looks poised to meet the Beast from the East’s chilly Russia air – causing further widespread snowfall and bitter temperatures. As winds picked up overnight, drifting snow caused misery for many motorists – with some parts recording accumulations up to a foot deep.
In Lincolnshire, police said the A52 had become impassable between Boston and Skegness, and warned that officers would not be able to rescue stuck drivers. Not even a snowplough was able to get through, the fire service said. There was also misery for drivers in Scotland – where the highest level of weather warning, a red alert, remains in place until 10am on Thursday. Motorists on the M80 near Glasgow reported being stuck for up to 13 hours, with some spending the night in their cars, and others abandoning their vehicles on the motorway. Temperatures plunged to a widespread low of between minus 6C (21F) and minus 4C (25F) overnight, and forecasters have warned it could feel as chilly as minus 11C (52F) during the day as the winds continue to strengthen.
Gusts of up to 60mph could also bring ‘blizzard-like conditions’. As well as the red alert – which has never before been issued for Scotland, England or Northern Ireland – amber warnings have also been issued for the north east of England and the central belt of Scotland, in place between 10am and 8pm on Thursday, and for south west England and south Wales from 12pm until 8am on Friday. On top of these, yellow snow warnings have been issued for vast swathes of southern, central, and northern England, Northern Ireland and Wales – in place for most of Thursday. Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge warned: ‘If you don’t have to go anywhere over the next few days, stay at home,’ he warned. Stay inside and eat all that bread.
