AFTER as much as 14cm of snow wreaked havoc across Cornwall yesterday, today more than 100 people who left their cars on the A30 to seek shelter at a Bodmin Moor pub have been told to pick up their vehicles ‘as soon as possible’ by Highways England, reports the Press Association.

The call came after gritters and recovery teams working through the night encountered problems.

Councillor Geoff Brown, who handles transport at Cornwall Council, said ‘the actions of a few impacted on many’ after abandoned cars blocked emergency services, delaying the clear-up operation. Two stranded buses carrying school children were among those rescued on Thursday night, he said.

More than 100 people sought refuge at Jamaica Inn at Bolventor, high on Bodmin Moor, overnight after heavy snowfall hit the A30, leading many stranded motorists to abandon their cars.

Some of those reaching the inn reported trudging through snow for several miles after more than 12cm of the white stuff brought ‘chaos’ to the cross-country route yesterday evening. The pub’s 25-year-old general manager, Sammy Wheeler, said groups and families with young children arrived in droves after around 100 cars got stuck on a nearby stretch of the A30.

‘A lot of people have abandoned their cars. Some of them have walked a good three, four or five miles,’ she told the Press Association last night. ‘People were fed up of being in a cold car and they were running out of fuel.’

Each of the inn’s 36 rooms was full, with some being shared by complete strangers last night. Meanwhile makeshift dormitories with mattresses on the floors were set up in other parts of the pub, including 15 beds in the restaurant another five in the lounge.

Paul Drye, 54, from St Austell, was heading home after working in Dorchester, Dorset, in the afternoon when he became stuck on the A30 around 3.30pm.

He said: ‘There had been a bit of heavy snow but while everything was moving it was fine, but as soon as there was a few incidents up ahead everything ground to a halt. You never know how long these things are going to last, whether it will be moving in two minutes or four hours as it turned out.’

Mr Drye arrived at the Jamaica Inn around 7.30pm and was met with a real ‘cross-section’ of people including dogs, children and truck drivers.

‘People were still arriving until the early hours of the morning, people who had left their cars and walked, a couple miles some of them,’ he said.

The Jamaica Inn staff were like a ‘well-oiled machine’, they provided mattresses, blankets and pillows for everybody and stayed up all night stoking fires, Mr Dyre said.

Ms Wheeler said: ‘I have no sheets left and I’m sure my head housekeeper will kill me in the morning when she hears about it. I’ve stolen all duvets and everything from everywhere possible.

‘There’s no beds left but we are now letting people sleep everywhere and I’m providing them with pillows and blankets.’

Spirits were said to be ‘incredibly high’ among the guests, who included around a dozen children and an eight-month-old baby. The pub’s seven staff, including two chefs, were pulling out the stops to make sure all were comfortable – although they were ‘in for a long one,’ Ms Wheeler said.

‘Credit to my staff – a shout-out goes to all of them,’ she added.

The area was under a yellow weather warning of snow and ice until this afternoon and efforts continued through the night to clear the A30 and get people moving again.

Speaking to the Press Association at 7.30am this morning, Mr Dyre said some travellers had already left to walk back to their cars and that from the Inn they could see traffic on the A30 was moving again.

Further upcountry, disruption to flights from airports in Bristol and Cardiff left queues of rugby fans facing a race against time to get to Paris ahead of this evening’s France vs Wales Six Nations opener.

in South Wales, a courier driver slipped into a snow-covered ditch just one mile short of a 270-mile journey, according to road police.

Meanwhile spare a thought for people in the Scottish Highlands, where temperatures plunged to a low of minus 15.4C (4.3F) just before midnight.

As for today upcountry, conditions were noted as growing worse on the M4 near Swindon in Wiltshire at the start of this afternoon, with murky images from road-side cameras showing thick snowfall.

Several other police forces asked motorists to completely clear their vehicles properly, with Wiltshire and Thames Valley police also telling drivers to travel only if absolutely necessary. A car with its side windows completely encased in snow was stopped in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, by Thames Valley police, who reported in disbelief that the driver claimed he ‘could see perfectly well’.

Rail passengers are also being told to check their journeys carefully before setting off to ensure lines are open.

Thousands of schoolchildren enjoyed a second snow day today as hundreds of schools across the country closed their doors – including more than 150 in Cornwall, more than half of Bristol’s schools, 300 in Buckinghamshire and scores across Oxfordshire.

A warning for ice is in place right across the southern counties until 11am tomorrow (Saturday), with people being warned to be aware of hazardous icy paths and roads.

Meanwhile, a fresh yellow warning for snow and ice covering large areas of the UK took effect from midday today (Friday) until the same time on Saturday. It covers northern Scotland; most of Northern Ireland; the eastern coast of England; and the west coast of Wales.