The treacherous road conditions meant buses could not venture out and there were very few services before lunchtime. A spokesman for Arriva, which operates around two thirds of Merseyside's buses, said rainfall during the afternoon made it easier for vehicles to leave the depot. He added: "It was too dangerous in the morning so the drivers couldn't go out and we would prefer that than to risk anybody's safety. "After the rain, the road cleared up a bit, but drivers were instructed to go slowly and take it easy. Many of them were running late, but by the afternoon, the service was quite comprehensive again." Merseyrail had to cancel around 25 trains before 1.30pm because the snow caused havoc on the tracks. A spokesman said: "We had engineering works scheduled for the Kirkby line and buses in place to take passengers to their destination. "Unfortunately, the weather meant we couldn't even deploy the buses. "Network Rail were experiencing problems with the weather all morning and a number of points failed. There were problems on many of our lines in and around Liverpool and then, when they were sorted out, the points failed near to Ellesmere Port. "Everything was back up and running after 1.30pm." Merseyside Fire Service said they had not received any more calls than usual as a result of the weather, but firefighters were having to exercise caution when responding to emergencies. But firefighters did have to cut a man free from his car following an accident in St Helens yesterday. The crash, involving two vehicles, happened just before 4pm in Baxters Lane. The man, who is not believed to be seriously hurt, was taken to Whiston Hospital. Fire crews believe the poor weather conditions were a contributory factor. In Cheshire, police said the M53 was passable but warned motorists to be careful, especially close to the borders with Merseyside. Despite the problems the snow was welcomed by some and residents in Bebington gathered to build a community igloo. * A CONCERT to raise money for the Daily Post backed campaign, the NSPCC Safe Place Appeal was put off last night. Hundreds of children from across Wirral were gearing up to showcase their talents on stage at Liverpool's Philharmonic Hall, but organisers were forced to postpone the event due to the snow. jessicashaughnessy@dailypost.co.uk Eight inches of snow turns road into trap for cars >>> | 
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