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Big freeze boost for Leeds stores
Jennifer Ellison and Daniel Whiston on the ice at Millennium Square. PIC: Steve Riding
The wind may be chill but it’s at least blowing a little good towards traders in Yorkshire.
Stores in the White Rose county are reporting brisk sales of winter warmer essentials during the current cold snap.
Leeds-based supermarket giant Asda has shifted more car de-icer in one week than during the whole of February 2011.
The firm is also expecting duvet and electric blanket sales to rise by more than 300 per cent compared to this time last year.
Other products flying off the shelves include hot water bottles and cough and cold medicine.
Smaller stores are also reaping benefits from the big freeze, with sledges and snow shovels proving super sellers for Birstall-based Crillys.
Nor is the weather putting people off trying their hand at winter sports.
Staff at Leeds city centre’s Ice Cube say it has been “business as usual” at the Yorkshire Evening Post-backed skating rink.
Visitors to the attraction yesterday included actress Jennifer Ellison, one of the contestants on this year’s series of ITV1 show Dancing on Ice.
The downside of the Arctic-style conditions was also clear to see yesterday, however.
Early morning black ice forced bus services to steer clear of the Nevison and Carleton Glen areas of Pontefract.
A burst water main on Aberford Road in Wakefield caused further headaches for travellers.
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service dealt with 30 call-outs to incidents where people had suffered falls between 7am and 9am yesterday.
Temperatures in Leeds were expected to plunge as low as minus 6C (21.2F) in the early hours of today.
Forecasters also said there was a chance of freezing rain in the city this afternoon, although temperatures tonight are not due to drop below around 2C (35.6F).
The Met Office has predicted that tomorrow’s weather should be “somewhat less cold” than in recent days.
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
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