FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE 10-MILE WALL OF FLAMES

FIREFIGHTERS were last night battling to bring a 10-mile wall of fire under control on a mountainside in Snowdonia, North Wales.

The blaze took hold in Arenig Bach, near Bala, Gwynedd.

Meanwhile, 24 homes had to be evacuated at Baglan, near Port Talbot, after a two-mile fire raged through mountainside near the M4 motorway.

Nearly 100 firemen tackled the blaze until early yesterday morning. Strong winds fanned the flames near to houses when the decision was made to evacuate the families.

Phil Coleman of the Mid and West Wales Fire Service said: "We managed to stop the fire endangering homes. The men have been working non-stop here and at other fires for 24 hours.""

The South Wales Fire Service took 1,400 calls during Friday night and Saturday morning.

Forestry Commission staff throughout Wales were on special fire watch alert keeping an eye on the tinder -dry woodland and forests. Meanwhile, holidaymakers headed back indoors as the sun disappeared and temperatures plunged close to zero. In Cardiff, the grounds around the city's historic castle where hundreds of people had on Friday flocked to soak up temperatures of 23C (77F), were empty.

And beaches on the Gower coast, which had also been packed were deserted. Tourism leaders said even though the heat wave was short- lived, it proved a massive boost. Rhyl, Colwyn Bay, Anglesey and Snowdonia have seen huge influxes of tourists since Thursday.

David Williams, Llandudno hoteliers' chairman, said: "Phones have been frantic for days and people are finding it difficult to get somewhere to stay." But the heat had caused motoring misery as day- trippers drove to the coast. On Thursday, drivers crawled at just 15mph between Wrexham and Anglesey when police escorted a steel girder along the A55 dual carriageway.

The temperature plummeted simultaneously across the Britain.

Brighton beach was empty just 24 hours after thousands had basked in glorious sunshine. And snow fell in Central London where only a few hours before it had reached a blistering 25C. In Withington, Gloucestershire, royal beauty Zara Phillips stocked up on steaming coffee as she braved biting 3C (40F) temperatures at a Cotswolds show- jumping event.

Average temperatures across the UK dropped from a sweltering 22C (75F) on Friday to just 8.5C (47.5F) yesterday.

Met Office spokesman Peter Stewart said: "It's time to get out your winter woolies. I wouldn't be surprised if there where a few spots of rain at any destination in the country over the next couple of days.

"But it should get warmer again by the middle of the week."

Motoring organisations are expecting traffic chaos to add to the Bank Holiday gloom when 18million holiday-makers return from four- day jaunts tomorrow.

Cardiff Airport was expecting one of its busiest weekends ever with 26,000 people jetting abroad from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

FIVE people in their teens and twenties have been arrested in connection with a grass fire near the village of Llaneradach near Caerphilly in South Wales, police said yesterday.

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