Heavy snow hits Berkshire roads

A revised rail timetable was operating at stations including Reading

A delivery of grit has been made in west Berkshire after fears there were only enough supplies for one more run.

The area saw "exceptionally heavy snowfall", with motorists continuing to face chaotic travel conditions.

The council said they had taken delivery of 200 tonnes of grit, which should see them through the next three days. More supplies are expected.

Meanwhile teams of midwives were being deployed in 4x4 vehicles to assist a number of women in labour.

Patients due to come in for cancer treatment and renal patients booked for dialysis should contact staff in their clinic who will advise them Royal Berkshire Hospital spokesperson BBC Berkshire - school closures

The staff from the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading were being booked into rooms in nearby hotels if unable to get home after their shifts.

Dozens of schools across the county were closed, with parents advised to check council websites to find out about closures on Thursday.

Bus services in Reading, Newbury and Bracknell were cancelled, while a revised rail timetable was operating at stations including Reading.

Thames Valley Police urged drivers not to travel unless absolutely essential.

Outpatient appointments at Heatherwood Hospital, Ascot, and Fitzwilliam House, Bracknell, were cancelled.

Royal Berkshire Hospital said that while services were continuing to operate as normal, people should try to re-schedule non-urgent appointments.

'Avoid town centre'

"Patients due to come in for cancer treatment and renal patients booked for dialysis should contact staff in their clinic who will advise them," a spokesperson said.

West Berkshire's new grit supplies were delivered to the council's gritting depot in Chievely near junction 13 of the M4.

Hampshire County Council helped top up the area's stocks from 125 tonnes to 300 when supplies failed to arrive on Tuesday.

West Berkshire Council said the new supplies would give them enough grit to treat major roads on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Dozens of schools have been closed and bus services cancelled

A spokesman said: "Most of our supplies come from companies up in Cheshire where the salt mines are but they have problems of their own, getting it out of the area."

Slough and Reading borough councils said its primary and secondary routes would be gritted and ploughed again overnight.

Slough Borough Council said only 20% of bin collections took place earlier, but crews would try again on Thursday.

Reading Borough Council said it had seven 4x4 vehicles providing "vital" services to vulnerable people, including meals-on-wheels.

It urged people to avoid the town centre if possible.

One Reading taxi driver told BBC News: "It's really dangerous, especially in the side roads. The main roads are OK because of the traffic and they have been gritted as well.

Another said: "It's actually OK. If you stay on the main roads and keep it steady, you won't have much problems."

Meanwhile the A322 Bagshot Road at Bracknell was closed earlier when three lorries jack-knifed within a short period.

The A34 at East Ilsley was blocked northbound because of abandoned lorries and another jack-knifed lorry blocked two lanes of the M4 westbound carriageway between Membury Services and junction 15.

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