Tonight:
5°c
How your region has been affected by the Arctic blast
5 Jan 2010Here is a round-up of how the Arctic blast was affecting regions around the UK today:
SOUTH EAST and EAST ANGLIA: London, East Anglia and the south east of England largely escaped the worst of the snow.
In Kent, police warned motorists to be wary of the icy conditions forecast for the county over the next few days.
Gatwick Airport, in West Sussex, reported delayed flight departures.
Council gritters are set to be out in force overnight in Brighton, treating all the main highways, ahead of the predicted snowfall.
In the north London borough of Harrow, council chiefs said it had 650 tonnes of salt left - enough for four days at the heaviest rate of spreading, or more than a fortnight at a lighter rate.
Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire were expecting heavy snow overnight.
NORTH WEST: Treacherous driving conditions in the Manchester area deterred many motorists from even attempting to travel to the city centre.
Most shops were open but there were few customers.
All proceedings at Manchester Crown Court were cancelled for the day due to the weather.
Filming was also suspended on Coronation Street as a result of the heavy snowfall in Manchester.
In Worsley, Manchester, one artistic homeowner created a "snow angel" outside their property.
Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service warned people of the extreme dangers of playing and skating on frozen waters.
The service's specialist water incident unit had been deployed in 13 incidents in the region over the recent cold snap, including the rescue of eight dogs who had become stuck while out with their owners.
The Highways Agency advised drivers to avoid travelling at all today if they could avoid it due to last night's heavy snowfall across parts of Merseyside, Greater Manchester, north Cheshire and south Lancashire.
Police are continuing to respond to emergencies but are asking the public to only call 999 if it is absolutely necessary.
Manchester Airport and the John Lennon Airport in Liverpool both closed for periods of the day.
Police in Cheshire urged parents to keep tabs on their children playing in the snow after a bus driver was hit on the head by a rogue snowball.
YORKSHIRE: Hundreds of schools closed across Yorkshire due to the snow and motorists were being warned not to make journeys unless absolutely necessary.
A number of roads across the region have been closed and several bus services have been suspended due to road conditions.
Leeds Bradford International Airport reopened at 1pm today after experiencing delays earlier in the morning and additional flights have been put in place to alleviate issues caused by the snow.
Refuse collections in a number of areas, including Leeds and Doncaster, have also been suspended.
A driver escaped uninjured after his car was hit by a train when it skidded on snow and on to rail tracks at a level crossing near Selby, North Yorkshire, and police in North Yorkshire are still searching for a man missing in freezing temperatures since Sunday.
Tomorrow's launches of the Jane Tomlinson 10km run in York and the Bupa Great Yorkshire Run 2010 in Sheffield have both been postponed due to the weather and will now be rearranged.
Ten East Coast Main Line rail services between London and Leeds were among the train journeys which had to be axed.
SOUTH WEST: Some 95 schools in Cornwall and 20 in Devon closed because of the weather.
Motorists in North Devon and North Cornwall have been experiencing "minor bumps" and coming off smaller roads, police said.
All major routes were still open across the two counties this morning.
Elsewhere in the south west, more than 50 schools in Gloucestershire closed this morning.
All evening classes at Gloucestershire College were also cancelled tonight due to the conditions.
Bristol International Airport is open this afternoon but some flights may be subject to "disruption" due to the weather, passengers are warned.
But most of Wiltshire, Bristol and Somerset appeared to have escaped the worst of the snow.
SCOTLAND: In the Highlands, roads were closed due to snow, including the A939 Grantown on Spey to Cockbridge road, while in Grampian the B974 Banchory to Fettercairn road and the A939 Strathdon to Ballater were among the routes shut.
All schools in Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders were closed.
There were also delays at Aberdeen and Glasgow airports.
NORTH EAST: A section of the A66 between County Durham and Cumbria was closed because of the treacherous conditions.
Flights from Durham Tees Valley Airport were suspended, while a number of departures from Newcastle were delayed.
Rail passengers in Newcastle were also suffering delays with the East Coast Main Line running a revised timetable.
Northumbria Police said road conditions in the force area were "potentially hazardous" due to the weather.
Mobile phone provider Orange reported a "large increase in voice and data traffic" in snow hit areas of the north east, leading to "network congestion".
WALES: More than 200 schools across south and west Wales have been forced to close due to the severe winter weather.
Almost 100 primary and secondary schools in the western counties of Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion closed early this morning.
They were joined by up to 100 more in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot counties as the morning progressed.
A total of 35 secondary and primary schools were also closed across Powys, in mid Wales.
A further 13 primary and secondary schools were closed in Torfaen county by lunch-time, along 21 primary and secondary schools in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council.
Reader views (1)
I blame Global warning.
- Liz Roberts, Northwich Cheshire, 05/01/2010 19:13
Report abuse
