Traffic live updates as drivers struggle on snowy roads after Storm Goretti

We will be finishing our updates now.

Thank you for joining us. Stay warm and saf if you are out and about.

Have a great weekend.

West Midlands Police stopped this driver on the live lane carriageway of the A38(M) earlier.

The driver had not cleared his vehicle of snow and his windscreen was obscured.

Needless to say, he was reported.

Woodgate Valley Farm posted on Facebook: "Not an easy decision for us to make, as we rely so heavily on having you on site to raise funds to feed the animals, but your safety is of the upmost importance to us.

"We will evaluate the site again tomorrow and let you know if we will be able to open on Sunday."

And no Parkruns either.

Special Sergeant Dan Saunders worked a shift in Dudley, on a day he was due to be off.

Dan spent the morning helping members of the public move their cars to safety, before heading out into the snowy conditions with fellow volunteer Alfie Weston to carry out arrest attempts for domestic abuse suspects.

PC Tarral Francis made the cold and slippery journey from the Sandwell area to Digbeth police station after setting off at around 5.30am.

The officer, who is in his 60s, was determined to be on the beat and patrolling around the city centre as usual and he helped identify and detain a wanted man.

Other officers spent hours getting to and from their places of work so they could report for duty.

The Trident pub which is off the Collector Road in Shard End is offering a warming drink to anyone who needs one.

They posted on Facebook: "With this cold spell if you are in need of a hot drink just to warm you for any reason no questions asked just come on to our pub and ask for a tea or coffee 'take out' and a large take out cup with lid will be provided no charge and no questions.

"Love The Trident team."

That's nice x

A very big shout out to Tipton taxi firm 121 Carz. Their drivers have been giving free rides to NHS staff based in Tipton to Russells Hall hospital, the Midland MET hospital or care homes.

Manager Simran Kaur said their kind hearted drivers had helped around 70 workers get to work and also stranded vehicles.

She said: "We've been inundated, a lot of staff from hospitals and care homes have called us.

"It's been really postive and we've helped roughly 70 people. We have 4X4s and our drivers have been helping the public too."

Kate Yombo said on Facebook: "You are the best, thank you all for this selfless service. 10 stars plus to the drivers that picked us today.

"Great customer service/ amazing staff, the NHS will never forget you."

Shelly Lane said: "They made sure I got home safe, they are amazing."

Aimee Wilkins said: "A huge thank you to car 77. Lovely driver, awful road conditions, but got me home safe . Thank you so much for your kindness."

As more parts of the railway begin to open up this evening, please check before you travel with @nationalrailenq and your operator

We are currently unable to run services from:
❌ BHM > Shrewsbury
❌ BHM > Hereford
❌ BHM > Four Oaks & Lichfield
❌ BHM > Walsall & Rugeley

— Birmingham New Street (@NetworkRailBHM) January 9, 2026

Warwickshire Police said: "Please be aware that the A45 southbound near the Forest of Arden Golf Course is shut this evening, Friday.

"A severe pothole has caused damage to several vehicles - so the road has been shut and we have contacted our colleagues at Highways.

"Thanks for your understanding."

National Express West Midlands have been regularly updating all the services affected by difficult road conditions and low temperatures.

Some routes were suspended, altered or diverted as vehicles battled with icy and treacherous roads.

To get the latest, click here.

WEST MIDLANDS PARKRUN UPDATE on FRIDAY 9th JANUARY 2026 at 17:30 (Information from Up and Running)

With the effects of Storm Goretti still with us along with sub-zero overnight temperatures, the vast majority of this weekend's parkruns have been cancelled.

Here's the full list of event cancellations across Birmingham and the West Midlands:

Arrow Valley

Babbs Mill

Beacon (Lichfield)

Brueton

Cannock Chase

Cannon Hill

Chasewater

Dudley

Edgbaston Reservoir

East Park (Wolverhampton)

Kingsbury Water

Oaklands

Perry Hall

Perton Playing Fields

Sandwell Valley

Sutton Park

Tamworth Castle Grounds

Walsall Arboretum

Woodgate Valley

Wolverhampton (West Park)

Wyre Forest

• A34 Green Lane in both directions just passable due to snow from Leamore Lane (Leamore) to A4148 Blue Lane West (Walsall)
• A435 Alcester Road in both directions just passable due to snow from Alcester Road South (Maypole) to Middle Lane (Wythall)
• A456 Quinton Expressway Northbound just passable due to snow from Ridgeway (Quinton Business Park roundabout) to the Toby Carvery Roundabout.

A tractor driver has been praised by a Sutton Coldfield GP practice for helping to clear one ot its sites.

The vehicle, more typically seen on farms or at building sites, was used to clear the Ley Hill surgery's car park in Lichfield Road in Mere Green today.

The Sutton Coldfield Group Practice said: "Superheros don’t always wear capes; sometimes they drive tractors!

"We’re incredibly grateful to the tractor driver who came to help us clear our car park at Ley Hill Surgery today, ensuring our patients could park safely. Thank you."

Call handers dealt with 1,397 between 8pm and midnight on Thursday when Storm Goretti hit the region, compared to 570 in the same period the day before.

WMP are asking people not to ring them to report school closures and snowball fights.

We have a full report here.

No.

There were no waste collections, council rubbish lorry visit and the tips were closed too.

Birmingham City Council said: "Due to heavy snow and an amber weather warning from the Met Office we have suspended collections for today.

"Please leave your bin out and we will collect as soon as we can.

"Recycling centres are also closed.

"Apologies for the inconvenience."

A Tesco lorry got caught out in the snow in Sutton Coldfield early on Friday and was stuck for a while causing trafic issues.

The supermarket HGV got stuck on Monmouth Drive at the junction with Stonehouse Road, before sunrise.

Letitia Lea took a photo of the lorry at around 8.45am when it was still stuck blocking the road, but it has since been removed.

West Midlands Railways said: "We are advising passengers not to travel on West Midlands Railway services on the morning of Friday 9th January due to severe disruption caused by Storm Goretti.

"The storm has caused widespread damage across our network with multiple significant incidents affecting our infrastructure and services. Key routes are blocked, trains and crew are displaced across the region, and we are unable to run a safe and reliable service.

"Damaged infrastructure including signals, overhead lines, and track-side equipment is preventing normal operations. Road conditions caused by the storm are severely hampering engineering teams' ability to reach affected sites to assess damage and carry out essential repairs.

"Due to the scale and severity of this disruption, we strongly advise you to postpone your journey until conditions improve."

Despite warnings and the horrors of Babbs Mill Lake in Solihull a little over three years ago still fresh in the memory, firefighters had to issue a warning to a family today.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed its firefighers had to tell a family-of-four, which included two adults and two youngsters to get off the ice in Billesley on Friday (January 9) morning.

The fire brigade posted: “We make no apologies for repeating a warning we've shared a few times this week.

“Alarmingly, firefighters based at Billesley this morning had to call a family of four - two adults and two young children - off a part-frozen pool.

“Please, PLEASE stay off the ice and away from frozen outdoor water.”

ACC Jen Mattinson from the WMP said: "The weather has caused significant disruption across the region today, but our commitment to providing an outstanding service is unaffected.

"We’ve had contact handlers who took more than three hours to get home last night, but who will be back in later on today.

"We’ve had an officer walk from Oldbury to Birmingham city centre to report for duty, and we’ve had people taking four hours to get into work, because they were so committed to delivering a service to the public today.

"And we’ve had a special sergeant who has been helping people move their cars to safety before coming into work on a day off to offer his help, and went out to carry out arrest attempts for people wanted for domestic abuse offences.”

"Our officers and staff have shown that they are dedicated to public service no matter what."

Following from our earlier post about gritting in Birmingham before, during and after the storm, two councillors have raised concerns about the issue - particulalry in their areas.

Cllr David Pears (Sutton Trinity, Cons.) said in Caversham Place in the centre of Sutton the grit bin was ‘empty’.

While Cllr Alex Yip (Wylde Green, Cons.) is calling for more grit bins to be added.

Alarmingly, he believes ‘around half’ of all the grit bins have been removed in his ward in the last 10 years.

He is petitioning for more bins for hilly, steep roads like Pilkington Avenue to be installed.

As well as the need to restock grit bins, Cllr Pears also raised concerns on whether gritters were out early enough to stop the big freeze..

Earlier Birmingham City Council said 'we can't do them all' - referencing which roads were gritted.

We have seen images of branching hanging low over roads.

The heavy snowfall has weighted down trees in Highbury Park and branches have also snapped off by Bartley Green School.

Citizen journalist Craig Pullen has kindly sent us these images of a tree which had fallen on School Road in Moseley earlier.

The tree was observed falling down at 120am, mere hours after he had moved his car from the exact spot.

He said: "Not all heroes wear capes: these guys wear high viz boiler suits, stout boots, and come equipped with a Sprinter Dropside, Stihl chainsaws, a Timberwolf T30 DHB wood chipper, a tree lopper (which would be useful for removing adornments from street furniture), and abseiling gear."

No defendants have been brought to Birmingham Crown Court today due to the weather. Judge Richard Bond who was presiding over a case listed for sentencing, said: "No defendants have been delivered from custody to Birmingham Crown Court today due to the weather."

Further, he said the court had difficulty sentencing anyone to immediate imprisonment because of a reduced number of staff in the court cells.

Firstly, praise to the bus drivers who are trying to keep our city moving in difficult conditions.

Literally dozens of services have been affected by Storm Goretti with routes suspended, diverted ro stops not being served.

National Express West Midlands has a full list of details which have been affected.

Parts of a tree has come down on the corner of Ridgeacre Road and Highfield lane in Quinton and is awaiting council removal.

Local resident Mark Cohen says it is obstructing the pavement and access to homes.

Please be careful if passing there.

A council gritter became stuck on Salop Road in Bearwood around midday.

It eventually managed to drive away after 45 minutes. Local Tina Ainge says vehicles are trying to get up Salop Road but becoming stuck due to the snow and ice.

A tree has fallen and was blocking Fox Hollies Road in Walmley, Sutton Coldfield this morning. Nichola Leaf spotted the tree fall which was by Foxes Meadow.

Councillor Ken Wood (Walmley and Minworth, Cons.) has confirmed the fallen tree has been reported to the highways department.

A big shout out to all the shop workers who made it into work across the city and also One Stop Shopping Centre in Perry Barr.

The car park was much quieter than usual around 10.30am today but Asda employees were clearning the snow from the paths.

The roads in and out of the car park are passable but take care.

Hello and welcome to our travel blog.

We will be bringing you details of all the incident on the roads as the big snowfall turns into the big freeze.

We will start with this blue Vauxhall Astra which was 'abandoned' and left blocking The Croftway in Handsworth Wood.

The car was left 'obstructing the whole road' and there was concern emergency services would not be able to get by.

Some have said the driver might not have been able to move the vehicle.