Charlotte Newton A BLANKET of snow and a layer of ice caused travel chaos in Muswell Hill this morning as one bus slid into a garden and another hit a stationary vehicle. A double decker 134 bus skidded on ice at 9.15 am today and careered into a garden

Charlotte Newton

A BLANKET of snow and a layer of ice caused travel chaos in Muswell Hill this morning as one bus slid into a garden and another hit a stationary vehicle.

A double decker 134 bus skidded on ice at 9.15 am today and careered into a garden on Colney Hatch Lane.

Then moments later, a number 43 bus hit a stationery 134 bus from behind, on the same patch of road.

Katy Hessel, of Haslemere Road, Crouch End, was on her way to St Michael's Grammar School when the accident happened and decided to turn back after seeing the ensuing mayhem.

Katy, 15, said: "I was on a 134 heading to Friern Barnet when I saw one bus which had crashed into a bollard and swivelled round so that it blocked the road.

"On the other side of the road there were two buses and one had clearly smashed into the back of the other.

"I was really shocked, especially after seeing the bus which had turned round. Everyone on board was gasping.

"It was really, really icy and the buses were going very slowly. It was travel chaos."

A spokeswoman for TfL said: "At around 9.15am this morning a route 134 double deck bus, operated by Metroline, skidded on ice and went into a front garden along Colney Hatch Lane. A second 134 was stationary at the bus stop when a route 43, also operated by Metroline, went into the back of the bus. The buses were travelling at very slow speed. We understand there were no injuries. We are working with the borough to ensure the road gets gritted as a matter of urgency."

A spokesman for Barnet Council said: "The Barnet section of Colney Hatch Lane is one of the borough's 'priority one' routes, which were gritted several times overnight and this morning. Gritting crews revisited shortly after 10am following the accident to put down a further layer of grit."

Meanwhile, Christmas came early for some Haringey children as schools shut because of the snowy weather.

St Thomas More Catholic School in Wood Green, John Loughborough Seventh Day Adventist secondary school in Tottenham Hale, and St Martin-of-Porres RC Primary School in Blake Road, Bounds Green all closed early today.

A spokeswoman for Haringey said: "St Thomas More closed because of the severe weather. John Loughborough closed because students come from a wider catchment area and there were concerns about them getting home safely if the weather worsened as predicted. St Martins closed because it is on a very steep, icy road.