Britain still locked in winter’s icy grip
SNOW brought misery again yesterday – with winter’s icy grip showing no signs of letting go.
Motorists had to dig cars out after communities in northern England were blanketed over the weekend.
Several days of snow showers stranded some drivers, while thousands of children enjoyed days off as schools struggled to cope with the cold weather.
But those hoping for a swift return to milder March temperatures will be left disappointed after the Met Office said the UK had not yet seen the last of the white stuff.
Lows of - 10C ( 14F) were forecast in parts of Scotland overnight into today.
Milder
Parts of north- west England and Wales, and the east coast from Lincolnshire to East Anglia, are all forecast to be hit by coastal showers today and could see up to half an inch of snow.
Wintry conditions will also continue across north- west England and northern Scotland into this week, experts predict.
Britons face more weather warnings as snowfall and showers present fresh risks.
Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said the week would start off slightly milder and sunnier than previous days – but that the better conditions would not last long. He said: “The middle of the week is when we start to see things change.
“On Tuesday morning we see a band of rain working its way in from the West and that meets the cold air sitting across the UK.
“We will see it turning to snow, especially from northern England northwards.
“Most of it will fall over the hills, the Pennines, North Wales, but it could get down to lower levels across parts of Scotland.
“There’s likely to be another warning in force for ice or tricky driving conditions across those parts of the UK.”
Tomorrow into Wednesday will bring more rain across the southern part of the UK, with turbulent weather and strong winds.
The end of the week is expected to be much drier and milder with highs of 13C or 14C in London and the South- east.
Fears have been raised that the cold snap could last until the end of the month and leave Britain freezing over Easter.
But Mr Powell said there would eventually be some relief, and added that by next weekend spring will be in the air.
He said: “By this time next week we should be looking at things being a bit more seasonal for mid- March.”