Snow causes chaos on roads

A car stranded in the snow on a Dartmoor road

Police in Devon are dealing with a spate of road accidents after swathes of the county woke up to snow showers.

A band of snow has fallen across parts of east Devon, Exeter and mid-Devon, leading to some bus services being cancelled.

The A30 near Okehampton, where around an inch of snow is on the ground, is one of the worst-affected areas.

Devon County Council control room has warned motorists to take extreme care, especially on minor roads which have not been gritted.

The snow caused many problems on major roads

Control room spokesman Peter Nail said: "As far as we are aware, only one major road is closed at the moment.

"We have problems on the A3124 from Okehampton to Winkleigh, going through to Torrington."

A number of bus and coach companies have cancelled services.

They include the Mid-Devon Coach Company, which runs services in Crediton; Tedburn Coaches and Hookway Coaches.

The Tor and Torridge Bus Company is not running some school services.

In Exeter, some local bus services were unable to reach parts of their routes.

Heating problems

Some of the county's schools have also suffered problems due to the weather.

The headteacher of North Tawton School has advised pupils from outlying areas to stay at home.

John Stocker Middle School in Exeter is closed due to heating problems, while year six pupils at St Nicholas Junior School in Sidmouth have been told to stay at home.

It is not only snow that has caused problems for Devon's motorists.

In south Devon, Torquay seafront was closed to traffic after the high tide threw sand and stones across the road.