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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Abigail Nicholson

Heavy snow hits Liverpool causing travel chaos with more expected tomorrow

Freezing conditions hit Liverpool causing commuter chaos and snowy scenes across the region.

Heavy snow hit Merseyside on Thursday morning following a yellow weather warning for snow being issued by the Met Office. Drivers reported delays and problems at the Mersey Tunnels toll booths as snow was causing issues with technology used to read number plates.

One person told The ECHO she had her fast tag taken off her by staff at the toll booths and said she saw staff trying to manually scan vehicles to get them through. Others had to pay the toll despite having a fast tag.

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A spokesperson for Merseytravel said: "There's some congestion at the tunnels due to sheer volumes of traffic this morning which is no doubt weather related. The weather is also making it more difficult to read the number plates on some vehicles but our teams are helping customers travel through the plaza as quickly as possible."

Elsewhere, Merseyrail services remained on track with customers being advised to check before they travel. Liverpool City Council announced that something called the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated.

This is a measure that is taken to try and protect and support rough sleepers in the city during difficult weather. The council operates this system alongside the Whitechapel homeless charity, based in Langsdale Street.

The protocol means that the Whitechapel's outreach team is looking for anyone sleeping rough in this weather who they will help to find shelter.

A message on Liverpool Council's Twitter account this morning stated: "The Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP) has been activated in Liverpool. If you see anyone sleeping rough, please call anytime on 0300 123 2041 and our outreach team will make a visit to offer support and shelter."

The wintery showers did create picturesque scenes around the city. Snow stuck at Everton Park and Sefton Park with dozens of people being pictured playing in the snow by ECHO photographers. Forecasters have put the warnings in place as they predict "heavy snow" is likely to cause "significant disruption" on Friday, March 10.

While the BBC forecast reads: "Today will see a cloudy start, and soon spells of sleet and snow will push in from the west, these becoming heavier later in the day. Winds picking up too by the evening."

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