Another cold weekend for Britain

A car lies in a ditch as snowy conditions gripped Suffolk

Britain is facing another bitterly cold weekend with more sleet and snow forecast for parts of the country.

Conditions on Saturday will be cold, windy and showery, with the western coastline due to be the sunniest areas.

The prolonged cold snap bought the 13th consecutive day of sleet or snow to parts of the country on Friday, with Kent, East Anglia and London hit hard.

Hundreds of schools were also closed and gritters remain on standby to clear roads affected by treacherous ice.

There was up to two inches of snow in some areas on Friday and the coldest temperature recorded was -8.5C (17F) at Redhill, Surrey.

More snow

Forecaster John Hutchinson said there would be more sleet, with snow on higher ground, in eastern areas on Saturday.

He said: "It looks like being cold until early next week, with temperatures rising for a few days before falling back again.

In pictures: Frozen Britain Are you affected?

RAC spokesman Rob Maynard said: "There's an ice warning for the whole of Kent - drivers should keep a big distance between themselves and the vehicle in front.

"It's also pretty slippery on the roads in Sussex, and other counties reporting problems are Suffolk and Derbyshire."

Meanwhile, police in County Durham continue to investigate the death of a nurse found dead in a snow-covered playing field.

Overcome by cold

It is feared Shelley Whitfield, 21, may have been overcome by the cold.

Her body was discovered by a man out walking his dog in Brandon on Wednesday morning, just 500 yards from her flat.

Elsewhere on Friday, Luton and Stansted airports were temporarily closed to clear runways.

Kent County Council said 103 schools were closed on Friday compared with 272 the day before.

In Norfolk, more than 130 of the 453 local authority schools were closed, and in Suffolk, around 150 were shut.

Bright and cold

Cambridgeshire County Council said a handful had closed in the county.

While Sunday will be a bright and cold day in most areas, plus scattered snow in south-east England, relief may come on Monday with higher temperatures.

A Highways Agency spokesman said that in close consultation with the Met Office, it was still on full alert and ready to help if necessary.

Both the agency and the AA warned drivers to take care in the icy conditions.