Ice and freezing fog expected to cause travel disruption after heavy snow

15 January 2021, 06:03

Travellers in the UK can expect more "tricky" conditions as heavy snowfall that caused disruption in parts of northern England and Scotland gives way to ice and freezing fog.

The Met Office said temperatures could drop as low as -10C overnight on Thursday in areas that have seen "lying snow."

Various yellow warnings have been put in place across most of the UK for snow and ice which will last throughout Friday and until 9pm on Saturday.

Patches of freezing fog are expected across large areas of the country bringing a widespread frost and temperatures hovering around freezing, the Met added.

Moving into Friday, temperatures in the Greater London area are expected to drop to 1C and parts of the South East could fall to an icy -2C.

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It comes after "hazardous" conditions on Thursday caused problems for ambulance services in Yorkshire who struggled to keep up with the high demand.

Mark Millins, of Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, urged people to "take extra care" when out walking or driving.

Elderly patients due to receive Covid jabs at Newcastle's Centre for Life mass vaccination hub were advised to rebook their appointments to avoid the bad weather.

The Newcastle NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust tweeted: "It's easy to do by calling 119. No need to risk travelling in the bad weather."

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Becky Mitchell, meteorologist at the Met, said: "Saturday is the next day we could potentially see some snow.

"We may even see some temporary snow across parts of the South East, towards East Anglia but at the moment we're not expecting to see the same amount of snowfall as we have had."

The deepest snow on Thursday was in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and Strathallan in Perth, Scotland, both of which recorded 11cm.

Ms Mitchell continued: "Into next week it's quite uncertain but it looks like temperatures will be around average to start with - so not particularly cold.

"But, towards the end of the week there are signs we could potentially see further snowfall across northern parts of the country."

Police Scotland's road policing unit has also warned against drivers travelling in the wintry weather.

Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: "Government restrictions on travelling remain in place across Scotland because of the ongoing pandemic.

"People should not leave their homes unless for essential purposes and work from home where possible. The best way to stay safe is to stay at home.

"In the current wintry weather please consider if your journey is exempt under the regulations and also if it really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves."