Giant natural ice structure on Cobbs Brown Lane,Nr. Skelmersdale _320
THE first day of 2009 on Merseyside was another dominated by fog, frost and freezing temperatures.
As the thermometer struggled to reach 4°C yesterday, parts of the region turned into a winter wonderland.
Claire Ashcroft, from Upholland, couldn’t believe her eyes when she came across the amazing giant ice structure captured by our photographer Martin Birchall.
Discovered during a morning walk on Cobbs Brown Lane, near Skelmersdale, the “stalagmite-style” icicles were formed as water from a running drain splashed onto the tree from passing cars.
The Leeds-Liverpool Canal froze over, causing problems for birdlife like the swan in West Lancs featured in our picture.
Earlier this week, a young swan had to be rescued from Princes Dock, in Liverpool, as it became trapped as the water froze.
The harsh ground frost caused problems for football fans in Southport after an early morning pitch inspection. The referee cancelled the local derby match between Southport and Burscough after struggling to get his fork into the pitch.
Much of Liverpool city centre was shrouded in mist, and walkers braving the wind chill in Everton Valley were greeted by frost and snow-tipped trees.
The region is still under a “red alert” issued by the Met Office to warn vulnerable people to take extra care during a cold spell.
Forecasters are predicting temperatures as low as -12C across the UK, while many observers predict today will be “no show Friday”.
As revellers nurse festive hangovers and today is the last day of the week, employers are expecting record numbers of staff to phone in sick.
Hard frosts are expected to continue over the weekend with rain on frozen surfaces on Sunday and Monday making driving hazardous.
Freezing weather is expected to remain and the next few days are likely to include sleet and snow showers.
