Shropshire Star

Newlyweds spend honeymoon night with 80 others at rescue centre

John and Sara Lund were driving to a luxury hotel in Cornwall when they became stranded in the snow.

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John and Sara Lund spent their wedding night at the Emergency Rest Centre in at Okehampton College (Richard White/PA)

A couple have spent their honeymoon night at a rescue centre after becoming stranded in heavy snow on the north side of Dartmoor.

Newlyweds John and Sara Lund had been trying to reach Watergate Bay Hotel, on the north Cornwall coast, on Sunday night.

The couple, who were married in Bristol on Sunday, were due to start a three-night stay at the luxury hotel but became stuck on the A30.

The Emergency Rest Centre in at Okehampton College at the north side of Dartmoor where motorists stuck due to the weather on the A30 were moved to (Richard White/PA)
The Emergency Rest Centre at Okehampton College at the north side of Dartmoor where motorists stuck due to the weather on the A30 were moved to (Richard White/PA)

“We were heading down to Watergate Bay in Newquay for what would have been a very luxurious honeymoon in a beautiful bridal suite with bouquets of flowers but we, like a number of other people, got caught in the A30 just outside Okehampton,” Mr Lund told BBC Breakfast.

“The lovely people of Devon County Council have looked after us very well.

“I didn’t imagine there would be snow in March to be perfectly honest with you, but certainly didn’t expect to spend our first night in a school college.”

The couple said they hoped to make their way to the hotel on Monday.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the A30 had been hit by “significant snow”, causing 64 miles of road between the M5 at Exeter and the A38 at Bodmin to be shut.

Hundreds of schools across the south west were closed on Monday due to snow and ice.

Devon County Council said the seaside resort of Ilfracombe had been “cut off” on Monday, with gritters and ploughs sent to clear routes.

Multiple vehicles were stuck in deep snow drifts in and around the town and police urged motorists to avoid the area.

Officers in Tavistock spent 90 minutes digging their Land Rover Defender out of a snow drift.

A yellow weather warning has been in place from 7pm on Monday until 9am on Tuesday, affecting the east Midlands, east of England, London and south east England, the north east, north west, south west and Wales, west Midlands, and Yorkshire and Humber.

Motorists have been urged to avoid travel in hours of darkness, with people advised to be careful even when walking as it is “extremely slippery underfoot”.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police added: “A lot of rural routes are impassable at present and Exmoor, Lyton, Lynmouth and Coombe Martin are currently cut off.

“Devon Highways and partners are working hard to clear the roads and enable access to these areas.

“We are also asking motorists to avoid the moors today and tomorrow due to the dangerous driving conditions.”

Residents in Tiverton, Devon, have been asked to conserve water after a burst water main caused flooding and supply problems.

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