Dartmoor and Exmoor snowdrifts prompt driver warnings

A car was buried by snow on the northern fringes of Dartmoor

Drivers are being urged not to drive on roads across Dartmoor and Exmoor amid huge snowdrifts.

Devon County Council said "treacherous" conditions had made many roads impassable and feared motorists getting stuck would hamper its clear-up.

The village of Lynton on the Exmoor coast has been cut off from surrounding roads because of snowdrifts up to 3m (9ft) deep.

There are also eight flood warnings in place across Devon and Cornwall.

A tractor attempts to clear snow around the village of Lynton on the Exmoor coast

Councillor Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways, said: "There are a lot of little communities across Dartmoor and Exmoor and they really need to get back on the gritted network.

"If you get stuck in your car you will make the situation even worse.

"So our message is, 'Let our crews do the work and we can start getting Devon back to normal again'."

Parts of Exmoor are still cut off by huge snowdrifts

A video posted by Sgt Dave Thubron from Devon and Cornwall Police shows snow covering the roads to and from Exmoor in the Parracombe and Lynton areas.

On lower ground, engineers are assessing the damage to a main road between Torcross and Dartmouth.

The tarmac was destroyed when huge waves combined with a spring high tide to batter the road on Friday.

Mr Hughes said: "Let's keep our fingers crossed that we can find the money to get that road re-opened with some temporary measures and then look to the long-term future of the road, because it is vitally important to those communities."

Engineers are assessing repairs on the main road at Torcross in Devon

Train services have resumed at Dawlish after the line was swamped on Friday

In other weather-related disruption:

• Train services out of Devon and Cornwall have now resumed after they were cut on Friday when waves swamped the line at Dawlish in Devon

• Western Power Distribution says it is working to get power back to more than 800 homes in the South West

• South West Water (SWW) is dealing with a number of burst water pipes which have split in the thaw as temperatures rise

Sharon Critchlow, of Horns Cross near Bideford in Devon, has been without water since 16:00 GMT on Friday.

She said: "The South West Water website said four to six hours to get it back on - but we still have no water."

SWW said about 700 homes were without water in parts of North Devon because of power cuts.

It added it was working to get the supply back as soon as possible.