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| Problems persist after heavy snow | Problems persist after heavy snow |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Thousands of homes remain without power and some key roads are still blocked after a day of high winds and heavy snowfall across much of the UK. | Thousands of homes remain without power and some key roads are still blocked after a day of high winds and heavy snowfall across much of the UK. |
| Some motorists were taken to emergency accommodation after 130 vehicles got stuck in snow on the A66 in Co Durham. | Some motorists were taken to emergency accommodation after 130 vehicles got stuck in snow on the A66 in Co Durham. |
| Meanwhile a renewed bid is to be made to airlift a cargo ship captain, badly hurt during a gale off the Isles of Scilly, after efforts were abandoned. | Meanwhile a renewed bid is to be made to airlift a cargo ship captain, badly hurt during a gale off the Isles of Scilly, after efforts were abandoned. |
| Plummeting temperatures overnight led to warnings of icy roads on Saturday. | Plummeting temperatures overnight led to warnings of icy roads on Saturday. |
| Weather warnings | Weather warnings |
| The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for all of the UK apart from south-east England. | The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for all of the UK apart from south-east England. |
| Temperatures as low as -10C (14F) had been forecast for the Scottish Highlands overnight. | Temperatures as low as -10C (14F) had been forecast for the Scottish Highlands overnight. |
| People in parts of Scotland are expected to wake to more snow on Saturday. | People in parts of Scotland are expected to wake to more snow on Saturday. |
| More wintry showers are predicted for north-west England and western Scotland during the day, but on the whole weather conditions are expected to ease. | More wintry showers are predicted for north-west England and western Scotland during the day, but on the whole weather conditions are expected to ease. |
| UK weather in picturesCaptain rescue abandonedFears over 'trawler rats' | UK weather in picturesCaptain rescue abandonedFears over 'trawler rats' |
| Blizzards affected much of Scotland and northern England on Friday, with snow recorded as deep as 15cm (5.9in) in some parts. | Blizzards affected much of Scotland and northern England on Friday, with snow recorded as deep as 15cm (5.9in) in some parts. |
| High winds of up to 80mph brought chaos to the roads, knocked down trees and left some 6,000 homes without electricity. | High winds of up to 80mph brought chaos to the roads, knocked down trees and left some 6,000 homes without electricity. |
| Some 3,000 remained without power overnight - most of them in North Yorkshire. | Some 3,000 remained without power overnight - most of them in North Yorkshire. |
| CE Electrics, which controls the network in the region, said snow, rain and wind had hampered engineers' efforts to restore supplies. | CE Electrics, which controls the network in the region, said snow, rain and wind had hampered engineers' efforts to restore supplies. |
| Motorists rescued | Motorists rescued |
| Unexpectedly heavy snowfall led to about 200 people being stranded on the A66 on Friday, including a coach party of 40 pensioners and a group of 15 children. | Unexpectedly heavy snowfall led to about 200 people being stranded on the A66 on Friday, including a coach party of 40 pensioners and a group of 15 children. |
| Emergency services help take motorists from the A66 to a hall and a pub in the village of Bowes, County Durham. | Emergency services help take motorists from the A66 to a hall and a pub in the village of Bowes, County Durham. |
| Snow was eventually cleared from the road, enabling some drivers to continue on their journeys, though an estimated 25 lorries remained on the road overnight. | Snow was eventually cleared from the road, enabling some drivers to continue on their journeys, though an estimated 25 lorries remained on the road overnight. |
| The A66 is still closed between Scotch Corner and Brough. | The A66 is still closed between Scotch Corner and Brough. |
| On Friday night RAF helicopters spent nearly an hour fighting gale-force winds over the Horncliff cargo vessel, in an attempt to rescue its skipper, after he suffered spinal and internal injuries in a storm off the Isles of Scilly. | On Friday night RAF helicopters spent nearly an hour fighting gale-force winds over the Horncliff cargo vessel, in an attempt to rescue its skipper, after he suffered spinal and internal injuries in a storm off the Isles of Scilly. |
| But with the vessel moving around so much in the high seas, crews decided it was safer for the captain to remain where he was overnight. | But with the vessel moving around so much in the high seas, crews decided it was safer for the captain to remain where he was overnight. |
| Helicopter captain Flt Lt Jonathan Singh told BBC News the conditions had been "horrendous". | Helicopter captain Flt Lt Jonathan Singh told BBC News the conditions had been "horrendous". |
| 'Pitch black' | |
| He said: "It's obviously pitch black out there, it's extremely dark with no sort of cultural lighting at that distance from land. | He said: "It's obviously pitch black out there, it's extremely dark with no sort of cultural lighting at that distance from land. |
| "The sea swell was probably between 35 and 40 feet and because the vessel had suffered some power failure, it was unable to manoeuvre particularly well, which meant that it was stuck riding the swell. | "The sea swell was probably between 35 and 40 feet and because the vessel had suffered some power failure, it was unable to manoeuvre particularly well, which meant that it was stuck riding the swell. |
| "Not only was it pitching up and down 35 to 40 feet, but it was also rolling by about 20-25 degrees which made, you can appreciate, hovering over it extremely difficult." | "Not only was it pitching up and down 35 to 40 feet, but it was also rolling by about 20-25 degrees which made, you can appreciate, hovering over it extremely difficult." |
| The vessel has switched destination from Cork to Falmouth, where it is expected to arrive between 1000 GMT and 1400 GMT on Saturday. | The vessel has switched destination from Cork to Falmouth, where it is expected to arrive between 1000 GMT and 1400 GMT on Saturday. |
| If Saturday's second airlift attempt is unsuccessful, the captain will be transferred to hospital on arrival at Falmouth. | If Saturday's second airlift attempt is unsuccessful, the captain will be transferred to hospital on arrival at Falmouth. |