Snow and gales bring disruption to UK
- Published
Local authorities have been battling to keep roads and pavements open
Wintry weather has caused disruption across parts of the UK, with roads blocked by snow and services suspended.
More than 200 schools were closed in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Wednesday and police advised motorists to take care when travelling on untreated roads.
More bad weather is expected, with Met Office yellow "be aware" warnings for rain and wind in place across the UK.
Gusts of up to 80mph (129km/h) were recorded on Wednesday evening.
In other incidents caused by the weather conditions:
Twenty-four homes were hit by a tornado and two properties were struck by lightning during storms in Pembrokeshire, Wales
At least 90 schools were closed in the Highlands, more than 100 closed in Northern Ireland, and 16 closed in mid-Wales
Roads and local bus services were affected in the north-west of Northern Ireland and in Scotland - where two HGVs have jack-knifed on the A9
In Wales, four people needed hospital treatment following car crashes, while other incidents involved a gritting lorry overturning in difficult conditions and a school bus skidding on ice
Public transport was disrupted in Londonderry and ferry services to Rathlin Island, off the coast of County Antrim, were cancelled
At least three rail services were suspended in Scotland
The Met Office warnings, external for high wind cover almost all of England and Wales and remain in force until 06:00 GMT Thursday.
On Wednesday evening, winds gusting up to 60mph (97km/h) were recorded across the Isles of Scilly and the far south west of Cornwall.
Exposed coastal areas of north west Wales had gusts of 70mph (113km/h), with the tops of hills there experiencing gusts of 80mph (129km/h).
People walking in the snow in Pitlochry, Scotland
A bus skidded on ice in Wattstown, Rhondda - in Wales
Children playing in the snow in Claudy, Northern Ireland
Staff from Drusillas wildlife park, east Sussex, had to remove a large eucalyptus tree from their lemur enclosure
BBC weather presenter John Hammond said: "Wet and windy weather is going to sweep across the whole of the country on Wednesday evening and overnight."
Heavy rain will spread from west to east and could cause localised flooding in some areas, he added.
Northern Ireland was affected by the rain from mid-afternoon on Wednesday, with the east coast of England being reached by midnight.
Scotland and Northern Ireland could also see some more snow falling as well as rain, our forecaster said.
The harsh weather is set to continue on Thursday and into the weekend.
Met Office spokesman Jonathan Hunter said: "Tomorrow we may see wintry showers across the UK with sleet, snow and rain.
"There may be strong winds tomorrow but easing through the day. On Friday and towards the weekend it will be really cold and we may see some snow showers in the north and at high levels."
Lions at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, Scotland, surround a snow man
Large hailstones fell in Camrose, Pembrokeshire, in Wales
Cars blanketed by snow in Aviemore in the Highlands
Road operator Bear Scotland vowed its teams would be working around the clock to keep routes clear.
Police Scotland advised against travelling unless completely necessary.
Ch Insp Louise Blakelock said: "If you do decide to travel, ensure your vehicle is well-prepared before setting off, make sure your windscreens are completely free of snow and ice, and your lights are working and clean."
Scotrail said services would be suspended on a number of West Coast routes from 12:00 GMT on Wednesday until 18:00 GMT on Thursday due to the stormy conditions being forecast.
Check out the latest travel news
For the latest on the roads visit the BBC's travel news page and keep up to date with incidents and roadworks on the motorways here.
Alternatively, for regular travel bulletins listen live to BBC Radio Scotland and follow @BBCTravelScot, external.
In times of severe disruption you can also follow the BBC Scotland severe weather Twitter list, external of key sources.
Below are a number of other traffic information sources.
Other links
- Published14 January 2015
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