Alps

DPA Munich/Vienna A fresh wave of winter weather hit Europe's Alpine countries on Monday, cutting off communities and causing at least one death, several road accidents and an avalanche in southern Germany.

Unarguable, but if Alpine countries can overcome such a difficulty, I'm sure Wales can, provided of course the thorny problem of funding is overcome.

These have not been realised and the town now has a different outlook on the event."The tradition of the devils' march comes from the Alpine countries like Austria and Germany.

In Norway, as with other Scandinavian and Alpine countries, there is legislation or a recommendation to fit winter rubber - hence the use of 'tyre hotels' that store your summer wheels in winter and vice-versa, for a fee.

--Northern Europe: In Germany and the Alpine countries like Switzerland and Austria, people top up the sum by between 5 and 10 per cent to a round figure, but withhold a tip to the waiter if the service was substandard.

A few Alpine countries observe Perchtenlaufen, a tradition in which several hundred masked men rush about the streets with whips and bells driving out evil spirits, but most centres on scoffing edible bits of decorations before putting them in attics for another year.

And I remember responding to him that mountains hadn't proved a barrier in Europe's Alpine countries several of which seemed to have been able to attract European funding for tunnels and bridges to make motorways feasible.

I had no choice but to go to Capehill and there was nothing but chaos on the roads.'' Asked to comment on the gritting procedure, Hall Green Liberal Democrat councillor Jackie Hawthorn replied: "What gritting?" Roger Harmer, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group, suggested that all motorists in Birmingham may have to copy Alpine countries by fitting snow chains to their cars if freezing winters become the norm.