Thawing south goes back to work

Kiska the amur leopard was enjoying the snow at Marwell Zoo

Thawing conditions across Hampshire, Berkshire and Dorset meant there was minimal disruption after the heaviest snow falls for 18 years.

Reading Buses were operating again after being taken off the roads on Tuesday night, while Southampton and Bournemouth airports were also open.

But 16 schools in Hampshire, two on the Isle of Wight, one in Dorset and six in Berkshire remained closed.

Further rain, sleet and snow is expected to head south on Thursday.

First Great Western (FGW) advised that all services would return to a normal timetable on Wednesday, while South West Trains was also aiming to run a normal weekday service across all routes.

The Highways Agency had warned of more ice on Dorset's roads on Wednesday.

The BBC Weather Centre's Matt Taylor said Thursday would see more rain, sleet and snow heading south.

He said wintry weather would continue into the weekend, but there was still uncertainty about how much would fall and where.

Marwell Zoo, near Winchester, which was shut for two days due to the snow, also re-opened on Wednesday.

Kiska, a 14-month-old amur leopard was among the animals out enjoying the snow.

The zoo advised visitors to check its website for its opening hours, due to the potential for more snow later in the week.

Up to 12in (30cm) of snow fell on Monday and overnight into Tuesday in southern England.

The runway at Southampton was closed at least twice on Tuesday while Bournemouth Airport reopened on Tuesday afternoon.

About 900 schools closed on Tuesday due to the weather.