THE snow was a source of frustration for many but fun for some as South Cumbria woke up to a blanket of the white stuff.

It’s a rare sight in Barrow - and indeed there was little more than a few flakes on Walney where the salty air melted the snow before it hit the ground - but yesterday most of Furness was hit by road closures.

The A590 was closed between the Elliscales roundabout for Askam and Ulverston for much of the morning while a jack-knifed lorry closed the A590 at Lindale Hill.

The Coast Road between Rampside and Aldingham was also closed just after high tide yesterday due to flooding.

Meathop Road in Grange was closed due to flooding while the A592 was also hazardous in many places.

Highways England’s gritters were sent back out at 3am yesterday after the heavy snow began to fall but it wasn’t enough to clear the roads as the snowfall continued.

A spokesman said: “We’ve had the gritters out across Cumbria since 3am and are advising drivers to take extra care when out on the roads.

“We’d advise drivers to check the weather forecast and their vehicles before setting out and to allow extra time for their journeys.”

Cumbria County Council’s highways advice stated: “Whilst we can spread salt to prevent ice from forming before it is forecast, we cannot deal with snow until it has fallen. This may sound obvious, but it is the major difference in the way these two problems can be addressed.

“Snowfall is often unpredictable and fairly localised. For this reason, our supervisors need to monitor the weather very closely when it is forecast, to enable them to get the right equipment to the right place to deal with it.

“Often, when snow is forecast, the gritters will have the snowploughs fitted before leaving the depot on the salting runs. This allows them to deal with the snow without having to return to the depot. We also have a limited number of snow blowers which are used to deal with deep snow.

“We clear the first priority roads and, once they are clear, we move onto the second priority routes. Once these are clear, we aim to clear at least one access road into each community. However, if conditions deteriorate, we will concentrate out efforts on the higher priority roads.”

Many youngsters were given an impromptu day off school with some taking the opportunity to play in the snow.

Chetwynde School, St James in Barrow, North Walney, UVHS, Sandside Lodge, St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Ulverston, Grange Primary School, The Lakes School, Waberthwaite School, St James Catholic Primary School in Millom, Captain Shaw’s, Langdale Church of England School, Millom Infant School, Millom School, Broughton School, St Cuthbert’s Primary School in Windermere, Cartmel Primary School, Lindale Primary School, Allithwaite School, Cartmel Priory and Flookburgh Primary School were among those closed.