UK weather: New snow and ice alerts issued as forecasters warn of more travel disruption
An ice alert for the South East and West Midlands is among new weather warnings now in force across the UK.
Wintry conditions caused widespread travel problems on Tuesday and forced more than 200 schools to close.
Forecasters say the difficult conditions will last until Wednesday morning, raising the prospect of a tricky rush hour on the roads and public transport.
The ice alert covers London and most of southern England as far west as Exeter, and as far north as Birmingham, Leicester and Chester, and expires at 10am.
A snow and ice warning also covers nearly all of Wales apart from some far western areas, most of western and northern Scotland and all of Northern Ireland – again until 10am.
The warnings are in force until between 10 am and noon on Wednesday. Pic: Met Office
Another snow and ice warning snakes up the coast from East Anglia to the Scottish border and is in force until noon.
The Met Office has warned some journeys by road and rail could take longer in the morning.
It says drivers should allow extra time and pack items such as a blanket, spade, phone charger, and food and water.
Walkers should also be wary of icy surfaces and cyclists are advised to stick to main roads that are more likely to have been treated.
Temperatures in many places are set to be close to or below zero overnight, while snow accumulations are forecast to range from a couple of centimetres to potentially 10cm or more on higher ground.
Areas above 300m in Scotland could see build-ups of 15-20cm, the Met Office said.
Check the forecast in your area
People play in the snow on the hills of Buxton, Derbyshire. Pic: PA
The village of Brandon in Durham. Pic: PA
The Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Neil Armstrong, said: “With cold Arctic air firmly in place over the UK, continued winter hazards are likely through much of this week, with further updates to warnings likely in the coming days.”
Monday night saw sub-zero temperatures for much of the UK, reaching as low as -11.2C at Braemar, Aberdeenshire.
Snowfall was also widely reported, with 12cm recorded at Watnall in Nottinghamshire on Tuesday morning.
Sam Drinkwater’s Granary Stables, Strensham, Worcestershire. Pic: PA
By Tuesday afternoon, around 140 school closures had been reported in Wales, around 50 in the West Midlands and 20 in Derbyshire.
There was also a travel headache for thousands of train passengers as National Rail warned of disruption to various routes.
By midday, around 64 of 120 services (53%) planned by East Midlands Railway had been cancelled or delayed by at least half an hour, according to punctuality website trains.im.
Carr Gate, West Yorkshire. Pic: PA
Figures for other operators included London North Eastern Railway (37%), Transport for Wales (13%), West Midlands Trains (13%) and CrossCountry (12%).
Rail travellers have been advised to check online before setting out and drivers should also plan ahead.
Luton, Bedfordshire
Buxton, Derbyshire. Pic: PA
Darren Clark, from National Highways, said: “Gritters will be out treating our roads around the clock when ice or snow is forecast, but it is still important to drive to the conditions.
“Keep your distance and reduce your speed, because even in conditions that seem normal, and where the snow is not settling, it can be slippery if ice patches have formed, or where fresh grit has not been worked into the carriageway.
“Drivers should plan their journeys, monitor weather reports and pack a snow kit of blankets, food, water and a shovel.”
Snowfall in Warwick. Pic: PA
Brill, Buckinghamshire
Wednesfield in the West Midlands. Pic: Phil Bateman
The first amber cold health alert of the season has also been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering all of England, except the South, until 6pm on Saturday.
The amber warning is issued when the weather is likely to “cause significant impacts across health and social care services”, including the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among older people or those with health conditions.
An amber cold health alert covers most of England. Pic: UKHSA
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events at the UKHSA, said: “It is vital to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are well prepared for the onset of cold weather. Particularly if they are elderly or otherwise at increased risk.”
Yellow health alerts – the second lowest – are in place for the South East, South West and London.
Belper in Derbyshire. Pic: Ben Drane
More expected in coming days
The Met Office has warned there could be further heavy rain, strong wind and more snow during the rest of the week as temperatures stay below average
“Further snow accumulations are expected through the week, mostly by night at low levels, in northern Scotland and exposed parts elsewhere,” it said.
Snow and ice at Corgarff in Aberdeenshire. Pic: PA
A dusting of snow at Glenshee Ski Centre. Pic: PA
Snow and ice surround The Watchers sculpture at Corgarff in Aberdeenshire. Pic: PA
Those in the impacted areas have been told power cuts are possible and mobile phone coverage might be affected.
The Met Office said there was also a slight chance some rural communities could be cut off.
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. Pic: Raj Patel
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
UK
Pictured: Boy killed in Gateshead industrial estate fire – 14 children arrested on suspicion of manslaughter
Tributes have been paid to 14-year-old Layton Carr who died in a fire at an industrial estate.
Eleven boys and three girls, aged between 11 and 14 years, have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the incident in Gateshead on Friday. They remain in police custody.
Police were alerted to a fire at Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area
Firefighters raced to Fairfield industrial park in the Bill Quay area shortly after 8pm, putting out the blaze a short time later.
Police then issued an appeal for a missing boy, Layton Carr, who was believed to be in the area at the time.
In a statement, the force said that “sadly, following searches, a body believed to be that of 14-year-old Layton Carr was located deceased inside the building”.
Layton’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers, police added.
Layton has been described as a ‘beautiful soul’
A fundraising page on GoFundMe has been set up to help Layton’s mother pay for funeral costs.
Organiser Stephanie Simpson said: “The last thing Georgia needs to stress trying to pay for a funeral for her Boy Any donations will help thank you.”
One tribute in a Facebook post read: “Can’t believe I’m writing this my nephew RIP Layton 💔 forever 14 you’ll be a massive miss, thinking of my sister and 2 beautiful nieces right now.”
Another added: “My boy ❤️ my baby cousin, my Layton. Nothing will ever come close to the pain I feel right now. Forever 14. I’ll miss you sausage.”
A third said: “Rest in peace big lad such a beautiful soul taken far to soon my thoughts are with you Gee stay strong girl hear for u always.”
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Detective Chief Inspector Louise Jenkins, of Northumbria Police, also said: “This is an extremely tragic incident where a boy has sadly lost his life.”
She added that the force’s “thoughts are with Layton’s family as they begin to attempt to process the loss of their loved one”.
They are working to establish “the full circumstances surrounding the incident” and officers will be in the area to “offer reassurance to the public”, she added.
A cordon remains in place at the site while police carry out enquiries.
Sky News can reveal that the government has rowed back on a national compensation scheme for victims of child sexual abuse, despite it being promised under the previous Conservative administration.
Warning – this story contains references to sexual and physical abuse
A National Redress Scheme was one of 20 key recommendations made by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), but a Home Office report reveals the government has scrapped it because of the cost.
Marie, who is 71, suffered alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at Greenfield House Convent in St Helens, Merseyside, between 1959 and 1962, and is still fighting for compensation.
Greenfield House Convent, where Marie says she was abused
As soon as she arrived as a six-year-old, Marie says her hair was cut off, her name changed, and she experienced regular beatings from the nuns and students.
She claims a nun instigated the violence, including when Marie was held down so that her legs were “spread-eagled” as she was sexually abused with a coat hanger.
Merseyside Police investigated claims of abuse at the convent, but in 2016, a suspect died before charges could be brought.
Marie has received an apology from the Catholic body that ran the home; she tried to sue them, but her claim was rejected because it was filed too long after the alleged abuse.
Marie, 71, is still fighting for compensation for the abuse she says she suffered as a child
In February, ministers said the law would change for victims of sexual abuse trying to sue institutions for damages, which was a recommendation from the IICSA.
Previously, people had to make a civil claim before they were 21, unless the victim could prove a fair trial could proceed despite the time lapse.
Campaigners argued for the time limit to be removed as, on average, victims wait 26 years to come forward. Changes to the 1980 Limitation Act could lead to more people making claims.
Peter Garsden, President of The Association of Child Abuse Lawyers
Civil cases ‘can take three to five years’
But Peter Garsden, president of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, worries that when it comes to historical abuse where the defendant is dead, institutions will still argue that it is impossible to have a fair trial and will fight to have the case thrown out of court.
Mr Garsden said it takes “between three and five years” for a civil case to get to trial.
He warned that claimants “can end up losing if you go through that process. Whereas the Redress Scheme would be quicker, much more straightforward, and much more likely to give justice to the victims”.
Victim awarded £10 compensation
Jimbo, who was a victim of abuse at St Aidan’s children’s home in Cheshire, took his case to the High Court twice and the Court of Appeal three times, but, after 13 years, all he ended up with was £10 for his bus fare to court.
Despite the Lord Justice of Appeal saying he believed that the abuse had occurred, Jimbo lost his claim because of the time limit for child sexual abuse claims to be made.
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Neither Marie nor Jimbo is likely to benefit from the removal of the time limit for personal injury claims, which is why Mr Garsden is calling on the government to implement a National Redress Scheme for victims of sexual abuse, as recommended by the IICSA.
Hundreds of millions paid to victims
The governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have set up compensation schemes and paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims.
In 2023, the then Conservative government said a similar scheme would be organised for England and Wales.
But the Home Office admitted in its Tackling Child Sexual Abuse: Progress Update that it “is not currently taking forward any further steps on the IICSA proposal for a separate, national financial redress scheme for all survivors of child sexual abuse”.
“In the current fiscal environment, this recommendation is very difficult to take forward,” it added.
For victims, the scheme was the last chance of compensation for a lifetime blighted by abuse.
“The money is about justice and about all the other people who have had to suffer this abuse,” Marie said.
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