A teenager died in a sledging accident yesterday as wintery weather swept through northern Britain.
The 19-year-old man was sledging with a friend when he careered down a steep slope and hit trees in the Cramlington area of Northumberland.
His friend, also 19, suffered leg injuries in the accident, which happened at around 9pm last night.
A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said today: “The 19-year-old was taken to hospital where he was confirmed dead and his friend, also 19, was treated for leg injuries. There are no suspicious circumstances and the coroner has been informed.”
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Police confirmed later that the dead teenager was from the nearby Ashington area of Northumberland.
Earlier in the day a woman suffered serious internal injuries in a sledging accident on the same slope, the Old Pit Heap in Nelson Park, Cramlington.
The earlier accident happened at noon, when the woman was sledging with a male companion, and careered out of control into bushes. The woman was taken to hospital for emergency surgery.
Fire crews today erected warning signs at the scene carrying details of the two accidents, and urging people to be aware of the dangers of sledging.
The two accidents after heavy snow blanketed the north-east of England, leaving many roads in treacherous conditions with up to four inches of snow in some areas of Northumberland and County Durham.
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Motorists were warned to take care while driving as some roads are only passable with care.
Today, heavy snow showers continued to fall in the northeast, and the wintry weather is expected intensify with blizzard conditions at times, and to extend southwards over much of Britain during the week.
Joanne Grimshaw, from the PA WeatherCentre, said: “The main problem will be a drop in temperature in eastern areas overnight bringing ice and frost - this could cause problems for rush hour traffic.”
It is expected to last until next weekend, making it the longest cold spell this year.
The Highways Agency has advised drivers to be prepared with a “winter weather kit”, including warm clothes, a hot drink, de-icer, a torch and a spade.
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A spokesman for the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents said that people needed to be extremely wary of sledging in snow.
Society spokesman Roger Vincent said: “People should not travel head first and always choose a safe place to sledge.
“They should make sure it is in deep snow and that there are no obstructions like trees which they could hit.
“We would recommend that people only sledge in daylight so that they can see any possible obstructions in their way.
“They also need to know that they have plenty of room to stop at the end of their run.”
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Newcastle and Chelsea footballers got an early taste of the wintery conditions during their FA Cup tie at St James’s Park yesterday, as the players battled not only against each other, but against snow that fell throughout the game.
Ground staff had spent the hours before the match clearing the pitch of an earlier snowfall so the game could go ahead.