Road conditions remain dangerous as snow melts

GARDAÍ ARE warning motorists not to have “false confidence” in the thaw, which is expected to set in over the coming days, as road conditions will remain very dangerous.

A freeze last night which lasted into the early hours of this morning will make slushy and wet roads especially hazardous. Motorists, who are expected to begin returning home from family visits in large numbers today, are asked to be extra careful.

“Drivers should be conscious of other drivers, increase stopping distances, drive with dipped headlights, and ensure all lights and windows are cleaned for good visibility,” a Garda spokesman said.

Gardaí were also last night appealing to pedestrians to be vigilant to their own safety. Where possible they should avoid walking on the road and wear a high-visibility jacket. “Footpaths will remain slippery so keep hands out of pockets.”

The primary danger on the roads will move from ice to flooding from today with a combination of rapidly melting snow and heavy rain over today and tomorrow.

Local authorities across the State are bracing themselves to deal with the repercussions of the expected floods as temperatures rise to as much as 10 or 11 degrees.

Dublin City Council said it has crews on standby to deal with floods. It said it was also working with the ESB to manage any tidal surges in the river Liffey which could occur as melting snow enters the river.

“The thaw setting in causes damage to water mains as the ground shifts around the pipes causing them to crack, particularly the older ones of which we still have a lot. We’re constantly monitoring things in relation to the water mains, roads and the Liffey and other rivers,” a spokesman said.

Householders in the northeast of Dublin city lost water supply on Christmas Day and several other local authorities were struggling to cope with cracked and frozen pipes. Thousands of householders in the Erris area of Mayo only had an intermittent water supply over the weekend because of leaks.

Cork County Council said there were a large number of burst pipes in both the council’s distribution systems and in private property which could result in cuts to supply. Kildare County Council is warning householders to ensure properties are adequately protected against flooding, particularly in places on low ground.

Bus Éireann, which ran special services on Christmas Day, said while it expected to run its services to timetable over the coming days, it was concerned about the effects of the flooding.

Irish Rail services resume this morning with a Saturday or Sunday service operating on most lines for the next two days.

However, major engineering works will begin this morning on the Dart line between Dún Laoghaire and Bray, resulting in no services between these stations from today to January 3rd.

Dublin Bus operated yesterday with some curtailments and delays to services because of the weather. It expects to operate a full service in the coming days but advises customers to check dublinbus.ie for updates on bus schedules.

All Irish airports were operational yesterday, but there were still delays to flights as airlines cleared backlogs and dealt with severe weather conditions in other countries.