Warnings of icy roads across UK

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  • xman
    Admin
    • Sep 2006
    • 24007

    Warnings of icy roads across UK

    6 December 2010 Last updated at 03:48 ET Drivers are being warned to take extra care as they head to work amid warnings of widespread ice across the whole of the UK.

    The Met Office also has warnings in place for heavy snow in Northern Ireland and central Scotland on Monday.

    Temperatures on Sunday night dropped to -18C (-1F) in Topcliffe, North Yorkshire, and much of England and Wales was blanketed in freezing fog.

    But forecasters said milder air would begin to arrive on Thursday.

    The most significant early snowfall since the early 1990s caused widespread disruption across the UK last week, with airports, roads and schools closed, and trains cancelled.

    Over the weekend, some areas enjoyed a brief respite, with temperatures rising to a comparatively warm 7.7C (46F) in Chivenor, north Devon.

    But BBC forecaster Daniel Corbett said that reprieve was now over.

    "Very cold temperatures are back and we could see 5-10cm of snow in Scotland and Northern Ireland on Monday," he said. "That will move into northern England by the end of the day, but we're not expecting anything like the problems of last week.

    "However, it will be very cold, particularly in areas like the West Midlands and eastern Wales where the freezing fog won't lift and it'll be sub-zero all day."

    Met Office warnings for ice and snow remain in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and the Midlands, and north and west Wales until Wednesday.

    Delivery backlog Travel disruption in also continuing across parts of the UK.

    Inverness airport has been closed until 1200 GMT because of heavy snow, and Wick airport is also closed.

    Fog is causing serious problems for travellers at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, with most flights having been cancelled or diverted since 1700 GMT on Sunday.

    Passengers are being advised to contact their airline before setting out.

    Hundreds of schools were closed because of the snow last week.

    In Scotland, fewer than half of schools stayed open for the whole week, but Education Secretary Michael Russell said 90% would be returning on Monday after a relatively dry weekend allowed councils to clear roads and pavements of snow and ice.

    Train services in Scotland are gradually being restored, but there are still closures on many routes.

    The East Coast line between London and Edinburgh is also still running a reduced service, and some Northern Rail services in Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire have been cancelled. They are the lines between Cleethorpes and Barton on Humber, Doncaster and Adwick, Knottingley and Goole and Morpeth and Chathill.

    On Saturday, the government announced that it had relaxed restrictions on hauliers' working hours in order to ease the backlog in deliveries caused by the snow.

    At least seven people died in weather-related incidents, including two elderly people in Cumbria who died in their gardens in freezing conditions in separate incidents.

    Many sporting fixtures were cancelled, including all but one fixture in the Scottish Football League.

    The highest-profile casualty was Manchester United's Premier League game at Blackpool.





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