The Courier week 59

Page 1

Edition 59

www.thecourier.es

Friday, April 6, 2012

MADNESS

From a heatwave to blizzards and now into Easter travel chaos. What on earth is happening to drought-hit Britain? BRITS looking to escape for an Easter break are facing travel chaos on the roads, in the air, and on the railways this weekend. Days after the UK media was bleating about record temperatures, ARCTIC BLIZZARDS hit the north on Tuesday, leaving many motorists stranded in snow. Amazingly, the deluge came just as seven water companies in the South of England were imposing a hosepipe ban to lessen the effects of a DROUGHT. The companies concerned say their action comes after two unusually dry winters left reservoirs, aquifers and rivers below normal levels. Which begs the question: If Spain’s water supply keeps flowing on a tiny fraction of the UK’s rainfall, why hasn’t this country dried up completely? The chaos in Britain was accompanied by severe weather warnings for parts of Scotland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands, after temperatures dropped as much as 20C since last week's heatwave. The worst hit areas appear to be around the Pennines,

North Yorkshire and Cumbria, with EIGHT INCHES of snow falling in Durham early on Wednesday. Angela Hodson, who runs the Marfit Head Farm campsite, told the Daily Mail: “There are people camping and it's three-feet deep. “We were in our T-shirts and shorts last week having a barbecue, now look at this. They just want to get out and

go home.’’ Meanwhile, airlines issued a warning to the Home Secretary that Easter getaway travellers could face 'gridlock' at airports due to immigration staff shortages. A total of 11 operators, including British Airways and Virgin, told Theresa May that passengers faced lengthy queues as the UK Border Agency does not have the

resources to carry out the stringent passport checks. Travel organisation ABTA said that around 1.5 million people would be heading off abroad for Easter. More than 370,000 passengers are expected to leave Heathrow Airport between today (Good Friday) and Easter Monday, and 200,000 will go through Gatwick. On top of this, a French air traffic controllers’ strike is

also causing major disruption. The protest against plans to cut jobs at France's regional hubs has seen hundreds of flights cancelled, with British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair axing more than 200 flights between them. Even those staying in Britain could face problems on the rail network, with engineering works over Easter disrupting the West Coast mainline.

IN YOUR COURIER TODAY... REGULAR Courier readers will know how difficult it can be to get a copy of this newspaper. If you ever have to endure such a nightmare, don’t worry - you can read every word BEFORE it hits the streets on a Friday. You’ll find the latest issue online at www.thecourier.es from 10pm every Thursday. And there’s always loads to enjoy. Take today, for instance... l P4:Tony Mayes - King of the Ranters l P7: Donna Gee Grumpy Old Gran l P10: Smile with Silver l P11: Say It In Spanish l P14: The Jeanette Erath Column l P15: Alex Trelinski on Politics l P16: Your  Letters l P18-19: Food Focus l P26-27: The UK Press l P28-29: Local Look-in l P30-31: Motoring l Page 32-33: Puzzles l P34: Spanish press l P35: Treli on Telly l P36: Horoscope l P36-42: TV Focus l 46-48: Sport

AND AS FOR OUR ADS... AS a new business here on the Costa Blanca we love using The Courier for advertising - we get a great response!

- SMART RECYCLING

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