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'End in sight' for freezing weather 'End in sight' for freezing weather
(35 minutes later)
Snow has continued falling over parts of south Wales and south-west England overnight as the cold spell continues. There is an end in sight to the wintry weather that has caused problems in the UK since Friday, forecasters say.
More than 400 schools remain closed in Wales and the Met Office says sleet or snow could move into southern England and the south Midlands later. Snow fell overnight in South Wales and south-west England causing problems for motorists but the Met Office says any flurries will ease and milder and wet conditions are expected by the weekend.
But forecasters say there is an end in sight to the wintry weather that has caused problems since Friday. Hundreds of schools remain closed across the country although numbers are far down on the start of the week.
In the West Midlands, a gritting lorry and a fuel tanker collided on the M42 overnight but there were no injuries. Motorists spent a night in a shelter after the A39 closed in Somerset.
And about 30 people were forced to abandon their cars and spend the night in a shelter when snow rendered the A39 between Bridgwater and Williton in Somerset impassable, police said. Police said about 30 people were affected when snow and fallen trees rendered the section of the road between Bridgwater and Williton impassable at about 01:00 GMT.
Drivers and passengers became stranded around 01:00 GMT when a build-up of snow and fallen trees blocked their path. Meanwhile, in the West Midlands, a gritting lorry and a fuel tanker collided on the M42 overnight but no injuries were reported.
A Met Office amber warning advising residents to "be prepared" for snow is in force for South Wales and south-west England. The Met Office has a yellow warning in place for all parts of the UK except for the far north-west of Scotland, advising people to be "be aware" of the icy conditions and freezing fog patches that may add to travel difficulties.
Less severe Met Office yellow warnings for snow - meaning "be aware" - are in place for the rest of Wales, the Midlands, southern England and eastern Scotland while forecasters say ice could continue to be a threat across much of the UK . It says there may also be a few light snow flurries in places though any accumulations will be slight. But freezing temperatures are expected to continue until Saturday.
But forecasters say any snow flurries will ease through the morning and milder, wet and windy weather is expected to arrive for the weekend.
In other developments:In other developments:
Heathrow cancelled dozens of flights on Tuesday. It said it was now "fully operational" although there may be some further disruption due to the weather conditions in the UK and Europe.Heathrow cancelled dozens of flights on Tuesday. It said it was now "fully operational" although there may be some further disruption due to the weather conditions in the UK and Europe.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the airport's chief executive, Colin Marshall, said Heathrow had invested £36m in snow-clearing equipment and was "in no way in the same position as 2010" when a runway closed for nearly four days.Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, the airport's chief executive, Colin Marshall, said Heathrow had invested £36m in snow-clearing equipment and was "in no way in the same position as 2010" when a runway closed for nearly four days.
He said two-thirds of flights operated on Monday and nearly 90% on Tuesday.He said two-thirds of flights operated on Monday and nearly 90% on Tuesday.
"I'm really sorry for every passenger who got caught up with the disruption and the cancellations but the fact is when it snows we have to clear the snow off the runway," he said."I'm really sorry for every passenger who got caught up with the disruption and the cancellations but the fact is when it snows we have to clear the snow off the runway," he said.
"It takes us a little time to clear the snow off and during that time we can land less aircraft and take off less aircraft than in normal conditions and therefore because we are full any amount of snow is going to cause some disruption.""It takes us a little time to clear the snow off and during that time we can land less aircraft and take off less aircraft than in normal conditions and therefore because we are full any amount of snow is going to cause some disruption."
There were also delays at airports including Gatwick, Birmingham, Stansted and Luton on Tuesday.There were also delays at airports including Gatwick, Birmingham, Stansted and Luton on Tuesday.
National Rail said all UK train companies were expected to run a full service following delays on Monday and Tuesday due to the weather.National Rail said all UK train companies were expected to run a full service following delays on Monday and Tuesday due to the weather.
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Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy

Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy
Temperature tab onlyTemperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather
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