Snow and ice still causing disruption

Staff reporter(wp/bbc):::

Freezing temperatures are continuing into the weekend after snow once again left many motorists stuck in their vehicles overnight.

Highways England said police had worked until 02:00 GMT on Saturday to free vehicles from the M3 near Basingstoke.

And Kent Police tweeted it had had an "incredibly busy night" with "numerous" collisions and stranded cars.

The Met Office said temperatures could reach -16C (3F) in Scotland on Saturday night but that Sunday should be milder.

Services on South Western Railway - which runs trains from London as far west as Exeter - could face disruption until midday on Saturday after "a band of heavy snow", National Rail warned.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are expected to remain in place across the UK until noon on Saturday.

The weather has also affected this weekend's football programme, with Saturday's match between Port Vale and Tranmere Rovers postponed because of a frozen pitch.

London City Airport cancelled or diverted several flights on Friday evening because of heavy snowfall but said it expected the runway to be "open as normal" on Saturday.

The airport said any concerned passengers should "check their flight status in advance" with their airline.

Bristol Airport also closed its runway due to snow on Friday. Services are expected to return to normal on Saturday, but the airport said there may be some further delays due to the de-icing of runways.

Southern England bore the brunt of Friday's fresh snowfall, with the Met Office recording snow at a depth of 19cm (7.5in) at RAF Odiham near Basingstoke on Friday evening.

Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital made an appeal for nursing staffwithin walking distance to help, as it faced staffing issues when the town's roads becoming gridlocked on Friday.

In Bath, the Corridor shopping centre was closed after two separate roof collapses due to snow.

However, the poor weather meant few shoppers were around at the time and no-one was hurt.

What warnings are in place?

There are yellow warnings for snow and ice covering northern Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the eastern coast of England and the west coast of Wales until 12:00 GMT on Saturday.

They warn of some snow showers, with heavier accumulations of up to 5cm (2in) possible in northern Scotland and up to 10cm (4in) over higher ground.

A separate warning for ice is in place for southern England until late morning.

Yellow warnings are issued for low level impacts, including some disruption to travel. People should check the latest forecast to see how they might be impacted.