Snow strands thousands of lorries in southwest France

[senorpepr]

MADRID (AFP) - Hundreds of goods lorries continued to be stuck in lengthy traffic jams at the border between Spain and southwestern France after heavy snow forced the temporary closure of the key crossing point.

"The whole of the main (Spanish road) network is open to traffic but there is a four-kilometre (2.5-mile) jam on the A8 motorway due to the number of lorries crossing the border," a spokesman for the police in the Spanish Basque Country told AFP.

Thousands of lorries had been stranded across southwestern France and northern Spain during the day because driving snow had forced the closure of the Biriatou border crossing over the weekend.

On Monday morning some 2,500 lorries had been backed up on 22 kilometres of French motorway leading to the Biriatou crossing and there were at least 10 kilometres of jams on the Spanish side, officials said.

Traffic started moving again early afternoon when the crossing was reopened.

But weather forecasters warned the temperature would fall below freezing on Monday night and the Spanish interior ministry said 23 mountain passes in northern Spain remained shut because of the snow.

Transport Minister Francisco Alvarez-Cascos said on Monday he had launched an inquiry into the operators of toll on the busy Burgos to Miranda de Ebro motorway in northern Spain, where 3,000 motorists were stranded in snow on Friday night. The national rescue service said it had been obliged to provide them with food and blankets to make it through the night.

[JCT777]

Looks like the French can't handle a little snow. I am shocked!