Britain on snow alert as 'stubborn' cold spell takes a hold in the east - The Guardian

Drivers and pedestrians have been warned there could be significant snow and ice over much of central and eastern Britain over the weekend, with some snow falls leaving up to 10cm (4in) on the ground over Saturday night.

While coastal areas of Kent and East Anglia were threatened with a light snow covering, other parts of the country were facing greater disruption, with rain coming from the Atlantic set to run into high pressure and cold weather from continental Europe.

North Dartmoor recorded a temperature of minus 2.6C at midday , while High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire recorded a temperature of minus 0.7C afternoon.

It might be some days before the icy temperatures disappeared in the east, said Paul Gunderson, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office. The cold weather there was "very stubborn" and likely to remain for much of next week, while it would be wetter and milder to the west.

The deep freeze has seen daytime temperatures plummet four or five degrees lower than average for February - traditionally the coldest month of the year.

The AA, which expected 19,000 emergency call-outs from motorists across Britain over Friday – double its usual number, appealed to drivers to be better prepared.

Darron Burness, head of special operations, said: "Unfortunately, we're still seeing people venturing out ill-prepared for the conditions, partly because it doesn't look particularly wintry at the moment. However, with more freezing conditions and possible snow on the way, you can't take any chances.

"Check the weather and traffic reports before heading out and pack plenty of warm clothing, food, water, de-icer, ice scraper and a fully-charged mobile. Take it easy and, if conditions deteriorate, try sticking to main routes and maintain a larger gap between you and the vehicle in front."

The London mayor, Boris Johnson, said: "Across all our roads and rails, hundreds of workers are on standby to ensure that, should we receive a mega-deposit of snow, we are in a position to keep the capital moving.

"With more than 100,000 tonnes of salt and an army of gritters, de-icers and specially adapted Tube carriages, together we will ensure that co-ordinated and swift action is taken to keep Londoners on the move."Health chiefs reminded older people and those with chronic health problems to wrap up warm and take plenty of hot drinks, and local authorities appealed to people to check on older neighbours.

The charity Living Streets appealed to councils to give the same attention to clearing ice from pavements as they did from the roads.

Tony Armstrong, its chief executive, said there must be no repeat of previous years where "people have felt vulnerable and in some cases completely isolated by ice on our pavements. With nearly four in five short journeys made on foot, it's time that the needs of people on foot are taken seriously."

A leading pet charity, the Blue Cross, warned families to keep their animals free of gritter salt and antifreeze. It said cats could die from salt toxicity while one had also died in London recently from suspected antifreeze poisoning.

Mark Bossley, its chief vet, said it was wise to keep pets indoors. Salt could easily get on their paws or fur and be swallowed when they groomed themselves. Cats also seemed to like the taste of antifreeze, but it is highly toxic to them.

However, the generally mild weather this winter has helped create a UK-first – an all-year-round tea harvest. The Tregothnan estate near Truro, Cornwall, reported that pickers were out earlier this week for the 12th successive month.

Its garden director, Jonathon Jones, said: "It is quite a novelty to be able to pick outside the normal season and the first time in history in this country. The frost isn't bad news for tea but it tastes a bit better without it – it has been a really unusual set of weather conditions."

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said an army of council staff and volunteers would be braving the elements to make sure vulnerable people were cared for, and residents were also being encouraged to call in on elderly neighbours. British Gas said its fleet of all-weather 4x4s was on stand-by to get engineers out to customers and keep Britain warm during the cold snap. A spokesman said the company had received more than 200,000 calls in the last five days, compared with 120,000 to 140,000 during a normal winter week, and was expecting a further 50,000 this weekend, compared with 20,000 normally in the winter.

The Department for Transport said it was now better prepared than ever for severe winter weather. It said salt stocks across the country stood at more than 2.4 million tonnes – a million more than last year.