A LATE blast of wintry weather battered South Lakeland this week as snow, rain and wind swept across the area.

Heavy snowfall blanketed higher ground last weekend, causing multiple vehicle collisions and a long list of road closures, and the region had barely recovered when Storm Gareth brought strong winds and heavy rainfall which resulted in renewed traffic chaos.

The Kirkstone Pass saw some of the worst conditions, with mountain rescue teams being called out on Sunday to help 33 people after a series of collisions in heavy snow, and a woman in her fifties was evacuated by air ambulance to hospital in Carlisle where she was treated for rib and arm injuries.

A coach with 23 passengers on board was stuck for a while until the road was cleared, allowing it to return to Ambleside, while mountain rescue teams were involved in a further call out to assist a walker who had reported himself as lost on Helvellyn.

The snow also caused hazardous driving conditions on the M6 from junction 36 at Shap to junction 37 at Killington.

Several accidents occurred on the southbound side though most of the vehicles involved were quickly recovered to the hard shoulder.

The A685 and the Wrynose and Honister passes were also closed due to snow, as was Corney Fell Road.

By Monday evening, the snow had been replaced by strong winds and heavy rain as Storm Gareth moved in.

The Environment Agency issued a total of 19 flood alerts across Cumbria as river levels rose, and the EA also warned of a high level of lake water at Windermere.

In addition, surface water caused problems on many roads including the M6, where one lane of the southbound carriageway was closed for a time in the Lancaster area.

The River Kent in Kendal town centre rose by almost a metre, though it did not reach flood risk levels and as the weather cleared during Tuesday, river levels began to fall.

However, there was some flooding in fields by the Kent at Burneside, and the A684 from Mill Lane at Aysgarth to Thornton Road at Worton was only just passable for a time after flood water from a nearby river encroached onto the road.

In addition, strong gusts caused some minor damage and there were reports of several trees being blown down.

A further band of heavy rain hit the area in the early hours of yesterday, though there were no reports of flooding.