Snow havoc heads north

Feb 3 2009

Snow was falling on more parts of the UK as winter storms moved north to leave a whitewashed south in their wake.

Forecasters are expecting areas of Scotland, Wales and northern England to suffer the worst of the wintry weather, causing hazardous conditions for many more people.

Higher parts of the Pennines and Jedburgh in the Borders have already seen extensive falls overnight.

Areas hit by Monday's deluge - the UK's heaviest for 18 years - are likely to remain dangerous after the widespread snow turned to ice as temperatures plunged overnight.

The Met Office has issued an extreme weather warning to motorists across the UK to beware of icy roads and drifting or heavy snow.

Thousands of children across Britain had another day off after hundreds of schools and colleges closed their doors.

Schools in Bradford, Birmingham and Surrey and the Borders were among those said to have been shut for a second day.

Rail and air passengers are also being advised to check with their operators before travelling. A spokesman for Network Rail, which owns and runs Britain's rail infrastructure, said there would be "a much better service" into London than the one which operated on Monday.

Despite the dangerous driving conditions in the South, London's public transport situation was in better shape, with most bus services and tube lines operating normally.

Temperatures dropped as low as minus 8C (17.6F) in parts of southern England overnight. Thermometers are expected to reach highs of just 1C (34F) in some areas of northern England, rising to a maximum of 5C (41F) in London and Kent, where it is expected to become drier through the day.