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
A Romanian grooming gang has been convicted of sexually exploiting 10 vulnerable women in Dundee.
Four men and one woman were found guilty of dozens of offences – including rape – following an extensive investigation into sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the supply of drugs in the Tayside area.
Marian Cumpanasoiu, 37, Remus Stan, 34, Catalin Dobre, 44, Cristian Urlateanu, 41, and Alexandra Bugonea, 34, denied any wrongdoing but on Thursday were convicted following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Detective Inspector Scott Carswell branded the offenders “deplorable” in an interview with Sky News’ Scotland correspondent, Connor Gillies.
The detective said the gang plied the women with alcohol and free Class A drugs at parties before coercing them into sexual activity, “which a lot of them didn’t want to do”.
He said: “But as things progressed, they were so addicted to the drugs that they knew the only way they could get the drugs was to perform the sexual acts that they were having to get involved in.”
Detective Inspector Scott Carswell
DI Carswell said the gang got the women addicted to drugs in a bid to control them and keep them coming back for more.
He added: “They’ve had no thought as to the impact this is having on the victims. It’s been quite controlled in that they knew what they were doing.”
The gang will be sentenced at a later date.
Police Scotland said the offenders were arrested and charged as part of Operation Recloir, which was launched in late 2021 to target a gang of suspected human traffickers in the Tayside area.
DI Carswell said the inquiry initially focused on brothel-keeping in Dundee and the suspected trafficking of Romanian females into the country.
He added: “However, into the summer of 2022 we started to receive information that the crime group were targeting vulnerable Dundee females, and it looked like they were grooming them and coercing them with gifts of free drugs and other things until it moved on to the victims having to get involved in sexual activity to get the free drugs.
“And unfortunately, this got them addicted to the class A drugs that had been provided.”
DI Carswell said many of the victims identified believed they were the girlfriends of the men involved and did not realise they were being “groomed and used”.
The detective said the women were looking to be “cared for”, noting: “However, I believe that the end goal here was to groom the females and possibly move them into prostitution.”
Read more from Sky News:
Timeline of the grooming gangs scandal
Grooming gangs are ‘in every single part of our country’
DI Carswell said it was important to build up the victims’ “trust and confidence” in order to get them to engage with the force.
He said: “That did take a lot of patience, and it was something that I was passionate about with my inquiry team from the start.”
DI Carswell added work remains ongoing to ensure the women’s welfare and long-term safeguarding.
The detective believes his team identified all the victims, but not everyone wished to engage with the inquiry.
DI Carswell added: “What I would say to them is even at this time if they don’t want to engage with the police, the support’s always there if they need help with anything on the back of this.”
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