[4] SEVERE WEATHER – A30 Bodmin Moor, 31/01/2019 15:30 hrs

Areas of East Cornwall experienced a sudden snow storm which seriously affected the higher routes over Bodmin Moor. This caused several lorries to jackknife or come to a stop on the steeper hills, causing hundreds of motorists to be stuck in their vehicles for long periods of time. Journeys which normally took 30 minutes were taking over 9 hours to complete, which caused a number of welfare issues within the tailbacks.

The team deployed its fleet of four wheel drive ambulances at the request of the police to check on motorists and provide general assistance. There were four specific taskings during this incident along the A30 which were to look for specific vehicles in the gridlock which had various concerns or medical conditions reported to the police control room. One of these concerns was handed directly on to the ambulance service having been located and assessed by the team.

The team eventually stood down at 0250 hours once both lanes of the A30 were moving again, returning to base by 0330 hours.