Britain braced for snow and floods

Heavy rain will sweep from the west across Wales, the Midlands and southern England through the night, falling as snow on higher ground, forecasters said.

Amid fears the rainfall and melting snow would cause flooding, householders were advised to take action to protect themselves and their property.

The Environment Agency had issued 15 flood warnings and 92 less serious flood watches. It said south-west and south-east England were most likely to be affected.

Much of Scotland experienced what one meteorologist described as "Scandinavian" conditions, with deep snow, no wind and very cold temperatures.

The mercury plunged to minus 18C (minus 0.4F) in the Highland ski resort of Aviemore, the lowest temperature recorded in the UK so far this winter.

There was limited transport disruption, although Virgin Trains cancelled some services between London and Birmingham and Manchester.

Stocks of salt to grit the roads were heading for Britain from a number of countries as supplies held in the UK dwindled. The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils were continuing to keep roads clear of ice and snow by ensuring that the limited salt supplies are delivered to the areas where they are needed most.

Michael Dukes, forecast manager for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said Britain was likely to experience a "winter storm" rather than a blizzard.

"It could be rain, then snow, then back to rain," he said. "It's not going to be as severe in terms of the huge amounts of snow we had a few days ago. The difference now is it's much stronger winds than we've had for a while - 50-60mph winds are quite possible."