Incompetence?

Travel Mole report that:

'Gatwick Airport has closed its runway at least until 1500 due to heavy snowfall and British Airways has cancelled all flights from London Heathrow until 1700 even though the latter airport remains open.

...

Additional snow ploughs have arrived at Gatwick and the airport said earlier this morning that it aimed to have them operational later this afternoon.'

Now when I, as someone with no direct interest in the running of Gatwick Airport, heard that snow was coming to the Gatwick area and bearing in mind the snow debacle a few weeks back there, I would have ordered in extra snow ploughs ahead of time. Maybe there is a good reason why the snow ploughs have only just arrived and will not be operational until 'later this aftrnoon' but I honestly cannot think of one. As an aside could not snow plough ploughs not be fitted to the fronts of surplus fire engines and other heavy vehicles at Gatwick to make a start on the clearance and work alongside the snowploughs?