Britain back in winter's grip

York was flooded three weeks ago

Heavy snowfalls driven by fierce winds are ensuring there is no end of winter in sight for large parts of the UK.

Up to 20cm of snow is expected to fall on higher roads in Scotland, overnight with blizzard conditions likely on many routes north of the border.

In northwest England up to 15cm of snow is forecast, with similar falls predicted for higher ground in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The return of torrential rain elsewhere has led the Environment Agency to issue 16 flood warnings and a further 11 flood watches, many of them in the Midlands and Wales.

Fallen trees

Gale force winds of more than 80mph have been recorded in Northern Ireland, with gusts in excess of 70mph in northern England.

In the Peak District, a party of school children escaped serious injury after the minibus they were travelling in was hit by a falling tree.

York railway station reopened on Friday evening after part of the roof fell onto power cables.

The M6 was one of many motorways affected by toppled vehicles

Earlier in the day, both main railway lines between England and Scotland were closed due to damaged power lines, but services resumed in the evening.

Motorways in the north of England were affected by delays after lorries toppled over in high winds and a number of train services were affected by blocked lines.

In Northern Ireland, hundreds of homes suffered power cuts as the severe weather hit the province.

The strong winds also caused major disruption to ferry crossings between Northern Ireland and Scotland with further delays between Wales and the Irish Republic.

Blizzards

A spokesman for the BBC Weather Centre said the wintry conditions would continue and the winds .

He said: "The biggest problem at the moment is the big gusts of wind and they are going to stay with us overnight before easing slowly on Saturday."

The picture for Scotland was especially bleak.

"The snow and high winds will mean the snow piling up and blizzard conditions on some of the roads."

Householders worried about a return of last month's floods could take heart from the likelihood that heavy rains would give way to showers over the weekend, the spokesman said.