the times | Saturday January 1 2022 5
News
As one year turns to another, the own-
ers of outdoor ice rinks can usually rely
on a steady stream of skaters.
But as 2021 gave way to 2022 they had
to turn business away as record temper-
atures meant that ice melted faster than
it could be replaced.
The Met Office reported a peak of
15.4C at its station in Merryfield, an air-
field in Somerset, one of numerous
locations to break the previous record
of 14.9C for New Year’s Eve set in 2011 at
Colwyn Bay, in Conwy.
Warm air from the Canary Islands
was being blamed as rinks at Somerset
House and the National Maritime
Museum in London closed.
But along the borders between the
British nations, landlords on the En-
glish side anticipated a windfall from
people wishing to escape restrictions in
Scotland and Wales.
Many Scots defied Nicola Sturgeon’s
instructions to stay at home by taking
the train south to Newcastle.
Sarah Hall, 23, from Dunbar, East Lo-
thian, spoke of her frustration as she ar-
rived at Newcastle’s central station.
“We’ve been jabbed and boosted but
we still can’t live our lives,” Hall said.
Aidyn Stott, 21, a joiner from Fife,
agreed. “A few miles away, south of the
border, you can go out as normal,” Stott
said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Scott Lawrie, landlord of the Mead-
ow House in Berwick-upon-Tweed,
was delighted to be the first pub on the
A1 on the English side. “We are expect-
ing coaches from Scotland,” he said.
In Llanymynech, on the border of
England and Wales, landlords on the
same road were subject to different
rules. John Turner, landlord of The
Dolphin, was obliged to cancel an event
and may only serve customers at tables.
Less than 100 yards away the Bradford
Arms Hotel was free to run normally.
Turner said: “I have no idea how
many people will turn up. I’ve only had
three groups who have booked a table.”
In London, the mayor agreed that
there would be an official firework
display but refused to tell anyone where
it would take place to avoid crowds
gathering.
Big Ben was set to strike midnight as
all four dials of the clock in Queen Eliz-
abeth Tower were on display for the
first time in almost four years. It marked
the final chimes of the temporary
mechanism, which will be replaced by
the repaired Victorian machinery.
That marked the halfway point of
global celebrations, which began in the
Pacific Islands. In Australia, Sydney cel-
ebrated with its customary fireworks
over its harbour bridge. In Japan, offi-
cial celebrations were cancelled and in
Auckland, New Zealand, fireworks
were replaced with a light show.
Britain should expect further mild
weather until Tuesday. Steve Rams-
dale, of the Met Office, suggested that
16C was possible today, breaking the
15.6C record at Bude, Cornwall, in 1916.
This week temperatures reached
24.7C in Bilbao, northern Spain, which
is unprecedented since records began
in 1947. In Segovia, near Madrid, 22.7C
was recorded, the highest since 1920,
and nearby Avila reached 20.2C, its
highest since 1983. Areas of the Italian
Alps are forecast to reach up to 15C
above the seasonal average in the com-
ing days. A high of 18C is expected in
Rome today and 22C in the Sicilian city
of Catania by the middle of next week.
Fireworks in
Sydney ushered
in 2022; kite
fliers celebrated
in Amritsar; in
Vladivostock
revellers dressed
up for the event;
and in Falmouth
swimmers saw
out 2021 with a
dip in the seaRecord temperatures and ‘coachloads
from Scotland’ welcome in new year
Jack Malvern, Marc Horne,
Charlotte Wace, Will Humphries
WENDELL TEODORO; HUGH R HASTINGS/GETTY IMAGES; JANE BARLOW/PA; NARINDER NANU/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGESThe London Eye
was lit up before
a fireworks
display; revellers
were looking
forward in
Berwick-upon-
Tweed; and the
town crier got
Heptonstall, West
Yorkshire ready
for the new year