Cold weather to continue over weekend - The Guardian

Bitterly cold weather will continue until at least the end of the weekend, with severe weather warnings in place throughout much of the UK, but the worst of the snow has passed, according to the Met Office.

The east and south-east will continue to be worst hit, with some snow-covered areas likely to record temperatures as low as -10C overnight, but there will be slightly warmer weather in the north and west.

The Met Office said roads could be treacherous as fallen snow melts and freezes in sub-zero temperatures overnight. There has been widespread disruption across England and Wales after more than 6cm (2in) of snow fell in some regions.

"For the moment it appears we are all done for snow. We may see a dusting of snow in the south-east on Saturday night, but only a centimetre or so," a spokesman said. "We continue to warn motorists about ice on roads tonight and on Saturday and Sunday."

The Met Office issued a "yellow" severe weather warning, instructing people to be aware of snow and ice, in nearly all parts of England as well as south Wales. A level-three cold weather alert is in place.

The south would remain particularly cold, the spokesman said. "The cold spots to look out for will be where there is already snow lying on the ground with temperatures as low as -10C in some areas, such as East Anglia and the Midlands.

"On Saturday we are likely to see some bright spells interspersed with cloud in the south, and it will stay cold with most areas struggling to get over the 0-2C mark. In the north it will be cloudier with some showers, with top temperatures of around 3C."

The cold weather continued to cause havoc, causing burst water mains and flooding. The Metropolitan police advised motorists to avoid Bayswater Road and Old Kent Road in London on Friday. Thames Water has doubled the number of its pipe-fixing teams on standby over the weekend.

Pipes are more prone to bursts and leaks when water temperatures drop below 5C. People travelling to Heathrow were advised to check their flight's status before setting off and allow extra time for their journey, although officials said no disruption was expected. An airport spokesman said: "A normal schedule is planned for Friday with no anticipated disruption.

"After clearing the snow overnight, airside teams took the opportunity to carry out two practice drills. Heathrow continues to monitor the weather and will respond if more adverse conditions are expected." Gatwick, London Luton, Birmingham International and Stansted said they were open and operating as normal and were not expecting disruption.

The Association of Train Operating Companies said train firms were preparing to deal with the bad weather, with Network Rail running empty "ghost" trains and de-icer units to keep tracks and overhead cables free of snow and ice. A spokesman said: "The whole industry will be working hard to get people from A to B as quickly and reliably as possible."