SNOW FALL is hampering efforts to sort out the gas crisis in East Barnet.

The white stuff has covered roads across the town, stranding some vehicles and making progress on the roads slow and dangerous.

Further deliveries of electric heaters and cooking rings have been held up because of the weather.

Gas engineers are marking passable roads on their master map of the area, held at the gas cut control centre in St Mary's Church in Little Grove, East Barnet.

Network Manager Terry Penny said: “It's chaos. The M25, Cat Hill, the North Circular, A1, lots of roads are blocked.

“People are just getting stuck everywhere at the moment.”

However the emergency services are not deterred.

Engineers have headed out on foot carrying their gauges and toolbags to visit homes.

And deliveries of heaters and cooking rings that reached the centre over an hour ago are going ahead, with National Grid bosses calling in four wheel drive vehicles.

East Barnet resident Jenny Bradford who called earlier today to say a disabled pensioner she knew had been missed off the list has contacted the Barnet Times to say that she had received her delivery.

Head of East Barnet Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) Sergeant Adrian Ball said that all vulnerable people who have been identified in the area had been visited.

A list of 191 residents of the 1,000 affected has been collated today from lists already held by Barnet Council, the Police and National Grid.

Five teams of SNT officers have been knocking on the doors of those identified.

Staff from the National Grid and water company Viola have also been helping.

The Red Cross, which volunteered to collate the list and coordinate the effort, are also visiting those people who have been identified as needing extra help.

Sgt Ball said: “The agency had been excellent. They can't be praised enough for what they've done.

“Last night they also provided catering for the emergency workers.”

He added that the people of East Barnet had been “very good.”

The odd person has needed some police encouragement. We've had to manage their expectations to accept the fact that it's almost like a war spirit.

“Some people were not aware of the scale of the problem and some people have wanted more than is available.

“But the people of East Barnet have been quite reasonable on the whole.”