News

Travel, sport and even parkruns frozen out by cold weather

The Met Office has put a yellow weather warning for ice, snow and wind into force and it will remain in place until Monday night. Picture by Bill Smyth
The Met Office has put a yellow weather warning for ice, snow and wind into force and it will remain in place until Monday night. Picture by Bill Smyth The Met Office has put a yellow weather warning for ice, snow and wind into force and it will remain in place until Monday night. Picture by Bill Smyth

HEAVY snow continued across parts of Northern Ireland over the weekend with trains, buses, flights and sporting events affected.

The Met Office yesterday issued a further yellow weather warning for ice, snow and wind into force and it will remain in place until later tonight.

Belfast International Airport said 16 Easyjet flights had been cancelled. Affected routes included London Stansted, Luton, Birmingham, Glasgow and Amsterdam.

A number of flights at Belfast City Airport were also cancelled as several centimetres of snow fell.

Translink was forced to cancel buses along parts of their routes leaving many people in rural, isolated areas, cut off.

Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Picture by Bill Smyth
Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Picture by Bill Smyth Heavy snow showers overnight have led to disruption across parts of Northern Ireland. Picture by Bill Smyth

Sporting fixtures were also hit by the big freeze, with only two games in the Danske Bank Premiership going ahead on Saturday as leaders Coleraine's clash with Dungannon Swifts at the Showgrounds and Crusaders' trip to Milltown to face Warrenpoint Town the only two matches to go ahead.

The ever-popular parkruns were also cancelled due to the ice and snow, with only one of the 22 Saturday morning events across the north, Portrush, going ahead.

One man who was more disappointed than most at not to getting out for his weekly 5km run was Belfast's Jim Clinton.

In February, Jim, dubbed Mr Parkrun, became the first runner, north or south, to complete 250 Parkruns.

Snow boarding the in the Mournes Picture Mal McCann.
Snow boarding the in the Mournes Picture Mal McCann. Snow boarding the in the Mournes Picture Mal McCann.

On Saturday he missed out on number 345.

"I’ve travelled thousands upon thousands of miles to do the Parkrun. I’ve cut holidays short to attend them and I can honestly say there’s never been an occasion when most or all runs have been cancelled," he said.

"On Saturday morning we heard all the Belfast runs were cancelled, so we looked to see if there were any others on close enough to Belfast that we could make it to, but it wasn’t to be.

"Saturday would have been my 345th Parkrun and instead I found myself with a free Saturday for the first time in years – I guess it will have to wait until next weekend."