Tweet
8 December 2010
Last updated at 15:32 ET
Another night of sub-zero temperatures lies ahead, with northern Scotland and eastern England expecting fresh snow.
Forecasters predict Cumbria and central Scotland will see lows of around -12C (10F), while Met Office icy roads warnings affect much of the UK.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond has called on people to help neighbours by clearing icy side roads.
And in Edinburgh, soldiers have begun helping the authorities clear snow and ice from the streets.
Severe weather warnings for heavy snow remain in place for the far north of Scotland, with icy road alerts affecting all Scottish regions, Northern Ireland, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber.
BBC weather forecaster Rob McElwee said there could also be a potential ice risk overnight in north Cornwall and west Devon, as well as a severe frost inland.
Forecasters predict temperatures will rise on Thursday. However, that could present the problem of drizzle falling on frozen surfaces and leaving them treacherously icy when the air cools - particularly in Wales and the western side of England.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
Lorna Gordon reports from the M8 where gritters have struggled to remove thick ice from the motorway
Roads in Scotland have been getting back to normal. The M8, which links Edinburgh and Glasgow, reopened after two days on Wednesday afternoon.
It was among a number of major routes in the busy central belt hit by snow, which forced hundreds of people to abandon their cars.
Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson told MSPs he accepted responsibility for the chaos.
However, he shrugged off opposition calls for his resignation by saying the government was faced with "exceptional circumstances".
Mr Hammond said councils had to make choices about which roads to grit but could provide salt to allow the public to clear residential streets.
"In many cases people would like to have the opportunity to have access to grit and salt supplies so that on roads that are not on the council's gritting route they can... make the pavements a bit easier, make it a bit easier for them to get out of their driveways," he told BBC Breakfast.
"People have always dug their way out of their own driveways... and I would encourage people who are able to do that kind of thing to continue doing it for themselves and for neighbours who are perhaps less able to."
He said the government had recently put together a "common sense" code of practice which, if followed, should protect the public from legal action as a result of attempting to clear snow.
'Good neighbours' However, he said there was no need in England for the Army to be called in because councils were still able to call contractors if they needed help clearing roads.
Prime Minister David Cameron urged people to be "good neighbours" as the icy grip took hold of the UK.
The Army had helped emergency services on Monday, and Edinburgh Council had requested further help, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said.
Voluntary groups and offenders serving community sentences were already helping out, he added.
The AA said it had responded to more than 230,000 incidents since the first widespread snow on 24 November - a 93% increase on the same period last year.
The RAC said it had received 50% more call-outs than normal.
Have you been stuck in the snow overnight? How did you cope? Has your business been affected? Are you still able to go out and buy food? Send us your pictures and comments using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Site Software
Forecasters predict Cumbria and central Scotland will see lows of around -12C (10F), while Met Office icy roads warnings affect much of the UK.
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond has called on people to help neighbours by clearing icy side roads.
And in Edinburgh, soldiers have begun helping the authorities clear snow and ice from the streets.
Severe weather warnings for heavy snow remain in place for the far north of Scotland, with icy road alerts affecting all Scottish regions, Northern Ireland, the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber.
BBC weather forecaster Rob McElwee said there could also be a potential ice risk overnight in north Cornwall and west Devon, as well as a severe frost inland.
Forecasters predict temperatures will rise on Thursday. However, that could present the problem of drizzle falling on frozen surfaces and leaving them treacherously icy when the air cools - particularly in Wales and the western side of England.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.Lorna Gordon reports from the M8 where gritters have struggled to remove thick ice from the motorway
Roads in Scotland have been getting back to normal. The M8, which links Edinburgh and Glasgow, reopened after two days on Wednesday afternoon.
It was among a number of major routes in the busy central belt hit by snow, which forced hundreds of people to abandon their cars.
Scottish Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson told MSPs he accepted responsibility for the chaos.
However, he shrugged off opposition calls for his resignation by saying the government was faced with "exceptional circumstances".
- The A171 near Whitby, North Yorks, was "passable with care" after more than 100 vehicles were rescued
- Rail services were hit by widespread cancellations throughout Scotland, with Glasgow-Edinburgh shuttles off because cold air was causing braking systems to fail
- East Coast was operating reduced services, while some local services in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and north-east England were cancelled
- Travellers at airports including Glasgow and Edinburgh and Belfast International were advised to check flight times with airlines
- All schools were closed in Glasgow, Inverclyde, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire
- Hundreds were closed in Northern Ireland, along with about 40 in the north of England
- Snow and frost forced the abandonment of Friday and Saturday's race meetings at Doncaster
Mr Hammond said councils had to make choices about which roads to grit but could provide salt to allow the public to clear residential streets.
"In many cases people would like to have the opportunity to have access to grit and salt supplies so that on roads that are not on the council's gritting route they can... make the pavements a bit easier, make it a bit easier for them to get out of their driveways," he told BBC Breakfast.
"People have always dug their way out of their own driveways... and I would encourage people who are able to do that kind of thing to continue doing it for themselves and for neighbours who are perhaps less able to."
He said the government had recently put together a "common sense" code of practice which, if followed, should protect the public from legal action as a result of attempting to clear snow.
'Good neighbours' However, he said there was no need in England for the Army to be called in because councils were still able to call contractors if they needed help clearing roads.
Prime Minister David Cameron urged people to be "good neighbours" as the icy grip took hold of the UK.
The Army had helped emergency services on Monday, and Edinburgh Council had requested further help, Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond said.
Voluntary groups and offenders serving community sentences were already helping out, he added.
The AA said it had responded to more than 230,000 incidents since the first widespread snow on 24 November - a 93% increase on the same period last year.
The RAC said it had received 50% more call-outs than normal.
Have you been stuck in the snow overnight? How did you cope? Has your business been affected? Are you still able to go out and buy food? Send us your pictures and comments using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered by WizardRSS | Best Membership Site Software