- guardian.co.uk, Friday 8 January 2010 13.43 GMT
A driver eases through Great Chart in Kent, as snowy conditions continue across the country. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA
An easterly wind combined with fresh heavy snowfalls is expected to cause further disruption to Britain over the weekend, with the danger of snowdrifts and a bitter wind chill factor, forecasters said today. The warnings came after the country last night suffered its coldest night of the winter so far.
Hundreds of schools were shut again today, with many schoolchildren now having been off all week, while disruption continued on the roads and air and rail networks. More snow was expected for eastern England today and temperatures were likely to remain at or below freezing in all areas.
An easterly wind was forecast to move from the south of England across the country over the weekend, bringing with it a biting chill factor as the coldest spell for more than three decades shows no signs of abating.
Today the Met Office issued an early warning of severe or extreme weather affecting London and the south-east from tomorrow evening until Sunday morning.
It said there was a "high risk of severe weather affecting Kent, East Sussex and eastern parts of West Sussex. Outbreaks of snow starting on Saturday afternoon will become heavy and persistent during the evening and last into Sunday morning. Seven to 12cm of fresh level snow is expected widely with 10 to 20cm locally. Drifting in the very strong winds will cause even greater accumulations in places. Disruption to transport networks is possible."
The lowest recorded temperature overnight was in Altnaharra, in the Scottish Highlands, where the mercury reached -21.6C, almost on a par with the south pole, where it is currently -22.9C. The previous low this winter was -18C, also in Scotland, recorded the previous night and on 29 December. Manchester and parts of the Brecon Beacons in Wales saw temperatures fall to -16C overnight, with Glasgow reaching -8C, Cardiff -5C and London hovering just below zero.
The prolonged cold weather has led to companies having their gas cut off as the National Grid tries to ensure there is enough gas for households. Gas demand was expected to hit 454 million cubic metres yesterday – higher than the all-time record of 449 million cubic metres in January 2003.
In Reading, Berkshire, up to 4,000 homes were left without water after a main burst. Engineers hoped to restore supplies later today.
The latest round of school closures have taken place in Salford, Northumberland and Gloucestershire, with hundreds more shutting in Hampshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire. More than 500 schools were closed in Wales.
Anger over the closures has been mounting among parents, who say many have been unnecessary.
School leaders fear the prolonged cold snap could mean chaos for next week's A-level and GCSE exams.
The GMB trade union said today it had been inundated by calls from members of the public, as well as union members affected by the cold. The union's health and safety officer, John McClean, said: "For those working outside the employer is obliged to undertake a risk assessment and where necessary provide appropriate thermal clothing and regular breaks for hot drinks."
The death toll caused by the freezing conditions rose yesterday, after the body of 45-year-old Philip Hughes, from Slough, was recovered from beneath a frozen lake in Frimley Green, Surrey.
He had been staying at the complex to watch the BDO darts world championship. At least 22 people have died in what are thought to be weather-related incidents since the cold snap began before Christmas.
A man was airlifted to hospital with serious head injuries after being injured in a sledging accident in Strood, Kent, a South East Coast Ambulance spokesman said today. The man, in his 20s, is believed to have been hit by a sledge in Broomhill Park yesterday afternoon. The spokesman said the injured man's condition was not thought to be life-threatening.
Road conditions remain treacherous and some councils were forced to ration their salt yesterday as one of the biggest suppliers of rock salt in the UK asked the Department for Transport to draw up a list of priority customers.
The environment secretary, Hilary Benn, said there might be some "difficult decisions" to be taken about which roads would continue to be salted. "We've also ordered more supplies from abroad, but it will take a little time for those to arrive," he told GMTV.
Following heavy snowfall at the beginning of last year, in August the UK Roads Board recommended that each local authority should secure salt for six days of snowy weather each winter, but the board's chairman told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that recent colder winters meant the issue of salt supplies should be reviewed.
EasyJet cancelled around 30 flights today to and from airports including Gatwick, Liverpool, Belfast and Stansted, while British Airways advised customers to check the status of their flight before leaving for Gatwick and Heathrow.
Several train companies warned of disrupted services, with commuters suffering not only a reduction in frequency on some routes but problems caused by broken-down trains.
South West Trains, Southern and Southeastern train firms were among those operating revised timetables.
Eurostar was running a limited service after the breakdown of a Brussels-to-London train in the Channel Tunnel.
The company was criticised on Twitter yesterday by the Europe minister Chris Bryant, who tweeted: "I am rapidly developing a very severe hatred of Eurostar as we are travelling at about a mile a year." Bryant had suffered delays on the company's services on two consecutive days. A Eurostar spokeswoman said the company was disappointed the minister was not enjoying his journey.
