Snow storms bring more chaos

They were helped from cars by police, army and civilian teams after up to a foot of snow fell in Devon.

Around 200 vehicles were stranded on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter, with dozens of others stuck on the A386 near Tavistock. Police and army teams used 4x4s to reach trapped motorists, with other drivers choosing to make their own way to safety.

More than 200 people were recovering in shelters set up near Exeter and in Okehampton as the emergency services worked to recover cars and clear the roads.

The West Country and Wales were badly affected. The two Severn bridges were closed for safety reasons after sheets of ice up to a metre square had fallen from overhead sign gantries and smashed the windscreens of five vehicles.

In Devon, a woman in labour with twins was taken to hospital in a fire engine after an ambulance and a Sea King helicopter could not get through the snow. Snow chains were fitted to the fire engine to allow it to get through heavy snow in North Tawton. The expectant mother was taken to Okehampton Community Hospital where she had twin girls.

Dangerous driving conditions were reported across the region, including the M5 and M4 in Wiltshire and Berkshire, as well as Bristol.

And up to 4,000 primary and secondary schools were shut across the areas worst affected by the snow, including all schools in Devon.

The closures meant that around a million children were enjoying an early start to the weekend.

With temperatures dropping as low as minus 8C (17.6F), councils are also perilously close to running out of salt and grit with some forced to ration its use.