WEATHER UPDATE: St Helens escapes worst of the snow (From St Helens Star)

WEATHER UPDATE: St Helens escapes worst of the snow

8:50am Tuesday 5th February 2013 in News

LIGHT snowfall is still in the forecast for St Helens on Tuesday morning, but the area has escaped the worst of the weather which has brought disruption elsewhere in the North West.

The predicted heavy snow for earlier this morning instead came down as sleet and hail around the borough.

But traffic disruption has been reported on roads on the outskirts of St Helens. There was queuing traffic on the M62 eastbound at 7am between J8 Burtonwood Road and J9, A49 (Winwick), because of an accident involving two cars earlier on.  Congestion has been stretching back  to J7 at Rainhill Stoops.

Traffic is also reported to be backing up on the East Lancs A579 in Greater Manchester because of a traffic light failure on Atherleigh Way in Leigh. Congestion is reported tailing back to the A572 Newton Road junction beyond Haydock Island.