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| Snow and ice take hold as temperatures plunge across Britain | Snow and ice take hold as temperatures plunge across Britain |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing in many parts of the UK as icy conditions affect most areas and fresh snow showers move in from the south-west. | Temperatures will struggle to rise above freezing in many parts of the UK as icy conditions affect most areas and fresh snow showers move in from the south-west. |
| A third day of serious disruption to road, rail and air travel is expected with difficulties concentrated in Scotland and the south and east of England. Many of the 5,000 schools that closed on Monday will stay shut, mostly in the north-east, East Anglia and around Birmingham. | |
| A seventh death due to the weather has been confirmed by Royal Mail, which said postman John Bircham collapsed and died while carrying out his round on Exmoor in Somerset that he had delivered for 25 years. | A seventh death due to the weather has been confirmed by Royal Mail, which said postman John Bircham collapsed and died while carrying out his round on Exmoor in Somerset that he had delivered for 25 years. |
| Ian Frankum, Royal Mail's delivery and collection manager, said: "It is with great sadness that staff at Dulverton delivery office learned of the death of postman John Bircham at the weekend. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues and our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends at this sad time." | Ian Frankum, Royal Mail's delivery and collection manager, said: "It is with great sadness that staff at Dulverton delivery office learned of the death of postman John Bircham at the weekend. He will be sorely missed by his colleagues and our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends at this sad time." |
| The tragedy follows the death of 25-year-old Bernadette Lee, found in a neighbour's garden at Deal in Kent after a late night out. Four young climbers were swept away by an avalanche in Glencoe on Sunday and a man died in when his car left the A12 in Essex and hit a tree. | The tragedy follows the death of 25-year-old Bernadette Lee, found in a neighbour's garden at Deal in Kent after a late night out. Four young climbers were swept away by an avalanche in Glencoe on Sunday and a man died in when his car left the A12 in Essex and hit a tree. |
| Liam Stafford, 16, remains critically ill in James Cook university hospital at Middlesbrough after hitting a tree while sledging. | Liam Stafford, 16, remains critically ill in James Cook university hospital at Middlesbrough after hitting a tree while sledging. |
| Temperatures overnight fell to a low of -11.3C (12.2F) in Buckinghamshire, -10C(14F) at Stansted airport and -9C(15.8F) at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and are expected to match this on Tuesday night after an Arctic day. | Temperatures overnight fell to a low of -11.3C (12.2F) in Buckinghamshire, -10C(14F) at Stansted airport and -9C(15.8F) at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk and are expected to match this on Tuesday night after an Arctic day. |
| Scotland, Northumberland and Durham are likely to see snowfall of up to 10cm with up to 6cm in southern England and 2cm in East Anglia. Further fronts moving in from the Atlantic and Cornwall will add their share but are expected to turn more quickly into sleet and rain as temperatures ease slightly. | Scotland, Northumberland and Durham are likely to see snowfall of up to 10cm with up to 6cm in southern England and 2cm in East Anglia. Further fronts moving in from the Atlantic and Cornwall will add their share but are expected to turn more quickly into sleet and rain as temperatures ease slightly. |
| Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Newcastle airports have all warned travellers to expect delays and to check before setting out from home. Flights are getting back to normal at Robin Hood airport near Doncaster, East Midlands and Leeds Bradford, which also saw delays and closures on Monday. | Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Newcastle airports have all warned travellers to expect delays and to check before setting out from home. Flights are getting back to normal at Robin Hood airport near Doncaster, East Midlands and Leeds Bradford, which also saw delays and closures on Monday. |
| A spokesman at Heathrow said visibility problems on Sunday and Monday, when almost 500 flights, or 20%, of the timetable were cancelled, were compounded by delays and disruption at continental airports which have also been hit by snow and bad visibility. | A spokesman at Heathrow said visibility problems on Sunday and Monday, when almost 500 flights, or 20%, of the timetable were cancelled, were compounded by delays and disruption at continental airports which have also been hit by snow and bad visibility. |
| He said: "Because Heathrow runs at almost 100% capacity there is no slack in the system and flights unfortunately have to be cancelled. Further cancellations are inevitable given the adverse weather conditions at other airports around Europe." | He said: "Because Heathrow runs at almost 100% capacity there is no slack in the system and flights unfortunately have to be cancelled. Further cancellations are inevitable given the adverse weather conditions at other airports around Europe." |
| The Highways Agency's modernised fleet of snowploughs and gritters has kept major routes open apart from the Woodhead pass across the Pennines between south Yorkshire and Manchester and the wild and windblown stretch of the A66 between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria. Severe drifting across the grouse moors owned by the family of the late Queen Mother make the road all but impossible to keep clear in heavy snow. | The Highways Agency's modernised fleet of snowploughs and gritters has kept major routes open apart from the Woodhead pass across the Pennines between south Yorkshire and Manchester and the wild and windblown stretch of the A66 between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria. Severe drifting across the grouse moors owned by the family of the late Queen Mother make the road all but impossible to keep clear in heavy snow. |
| Train companies advised passengers to check live service information and Twitter. Early Tweets from National Rail reported problems at Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Luton and Portsmouth and delays of up to 40 minutes because of snow and ice on the flagship east coast mainline. | Train companies advised passengers to check live service information and Twitter. Early Tweets from National Rail reported problems at Birmingham, Bromsgrove, Luton and Portsmouth and delays of up to 40 minutes because of snow and ice on the flagship east coast mainline. |
| The Meteorological Office forecast further snow on Tuesday night in the south-west, spreading to Wales and the Midlands with a sharp frost, followed by light snow in many areas on Wednesday and then a drier but very cold period. | The Meteorological Office forecast further snow on Tuesday night in the south-west, spreading to Wales and the Midlands with a sharp frost, followed by light snow in many areas on Wednesday and then a drier but very cold period. |
| Thursday is expected to be drier with widespread sunshine apart from patches of stubborn freezing fog, and the weekend will bring milder temperatures at last. The following week promises an unsettled picture but the prospect of Atlantic dampness gradually overcoming Scandinavian chill. |