UK weather: Heavy snowfall causes disruption after Storm Bella brings rain and floods

Police forces urge motorists not to travel after cars left stranded

Heavy snowfall caused disruption to parts of the UK as temperatures plummeted following days of stormy conditions over Christmas.

The Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across much of England, Scotland and Wales lasting until 10am on Tuesday after forecasting a “cold and frosty start” to Bank Holiday Monday.

Up to 10cm of snow fell in some parts of the country overnight, prompting two police forces have urged motorists to avoid travelling because of the conditions.

Gloucestershire Police warned of delays in rural areas and warned members of the public to take care and “only go out if it is essential to do so”.

Staffordshire Police reported a “large number of stranded vehicles” on the A458 between Stourbridge and Bridgnorth. The force also said that several roads in north Staffordshire were “impassable” due to collisions and added: "Please do not travel unless absolutely essential."

The Automobile Association warned drivers to be prepared if they had to make journeys, saying that treacherous conditions could develop if thawing snow turns to ice overnight. 

“Thawing snow, rainfalls and freezing temperatures overnight lead to challenging driving conditions, with roads likely to be icy in the morning,” said Ben Sheridan of the AA.

But the AA added regional restrictions which have been imposed due to Covid-19 meant that roads were quieter than normal. 

The storm and chilly conditions also caused disruption off the roads in parts of the country on Monday.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council sent out snowploughs to help clear routes after the light flurries it had expected instead resulted in three inches of snow coming down. 

Dudley Zoo in the West Midlands said it would close on Monday due to the snow while Haydock Park racecourse announced that it had abandoned its plans for racing on Wednesday after four inches fell overnight.

The Met Office has also warned that further snow and ice could cause disruption across England and south Wales from 10am on Wednesday to 6am on Thursday.

Its weather warning suggests that up to two to five cm of snow could fall across parts of southern Wales, central and southern England, and there is a small chance of 10 to 15 cm settling in a few places, most likely on high ground above 200 metres.

The coastal parts of the country could continue to see wintry showers on Tuesday, while the weather should turn dry and sunny, though cold, in much of the country, according to the Met Office’s forecasts on Monday afternoon. 

Most of the UK remains at risk of seeing further snowfall and ice on Wednesday and in the coming days.

The chilly conditions over the weekend saw temperatures drop to -2.9C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on Sunday while St Mary's just off the Cornish coast had the warmest weather at 8.5C. On Monday morning Londoners woke to temperatures of -1C with highs of just 5C forecast.

It follows several days of wintry weather over the Christmas period which brought flooding to parts of southern England before Storm Bella arrived on Boxing Day with winds of more than 100mph. 

Snow fell in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England on Sunday and flooding was reported in parts of eastern England, with kayakers taking to the roads in Norfolk in an attempt to traverse water-logged streets.  

As of Monday afternoon, 87 flood warnings remained in place across England calling for immediate action ahead of expected flooding, alongside 158 flood alerts.  

Despite the difficult conditions, gales meant that for the first time ever more than half of Britain's electricity was generated by wind power on Saturday.  

According to energy firm Drax, 50.67 per cent of the country's power was produced by wind turbines on Boxing Day.  

Additional reporting by PA