Drivers battle through heavy snow

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Heavy falls came down in North East England and South East Scotland as a wet weather front met cold air which has been sitting over the country.

Strong winds caused drifting, forcing roads to shut, or lane closures on dual-carriageways, on higher ground.

There were reports of up to 100 schools closed in West Yorkshire, around 30 in North Yorkshire, and a dozen more closed in Northumberland.

MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said rain was expected to come in during the day, pushing the snow clouds out, but they could return on Friday.

Up to 15cm fell in the Scottish Borders, and hazardous conditions were reported on the roads in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, County Durham and across Yorkshire.

Driving conditions on the M62 across the Pennines at Huddersfield were poor, and parts of the A1 in Northumberland were down to one lane.

In County Durham, a police spokesman said: "There are problems on the roads pretty much everywhere you look in the force at the moment."

Police said the A66 transpennine road was closed westbound to motorists from North Yorkshire to Cumbria because of heavy snow.

The picture was brighter elsewhere with temperatures set to get up to 10C in parts of southern England, and 8-9C in the Midlands, with a drier day for many on Friday. Over the next week or so, temperatures are forecast to be about average for December (4-7C in the daytime) with some unsettled showery weather.