UK weather: Travel warnings after night of snowfall

Image captio

Many vehicles were abandoned on the A30 in Cornwall overnight

Commuters across the UK are being advised to check their routes before travelling after a night of heavy snowfall affected roads and railways.

Great Western Railway said services could be disrupted until 13:00 GMT while Transport for Wales expects some routes to be affected until 14:00.

In Cornwall, more than 100 people spent the night at the Jamaica Inn pub after their cars became stuck on the A30.

Met Office weather warnings for snow and ice remain in place on Friday.

An amber warning for snow across the Thames Valley west of London is due to last until 11:00.

In addition, yellow warnings for snow and ice - lasting until the afternoon - cover southern, eastern and north-eastern England, as well as parts of Wales and Scotland.

The Met Office has warned of “treacherous driving conditions” in some southern areas.

Elsewhere, Bristol Airport has suspended all flights until 08:00 GMT while snow is cleared from the runway. Passengers are being told to check with their airline before travelling.

Image copyrightMatt Argyle

Other disruption includes:

• Dozens of schools in Cornwall will be closed on Friday, while students at Callywith College were forced to stay overnight

• British Airways has warned that some short-haul flights to and from Heathrow Airport on Friday morning have been cancelled or merged

• Southeastern Trains has introduced a winter timetable for Friday morning and South Western Railway has warned of some cancellations as tracks are cleared first thing

• London North Eastern Railway said the 5:26 Stirling to Kings Cross service would begin at Edinburgh, rather than Stirling

• Some schools in Wales have announced they will be shut on Friday

• Police in Wales have advised drivers to avoid the A4059 Storey Arms to Hirwaun due to “treacherous” conditio

• Chepstow Racecourse has cancelled Friday's meet

• For more information, tune in to your BBC local radio station or check the BBC Weather page

The South West was worst affected on Thursday night. In addition to those seeking refuge in the Jamaica Inn - the Bodmin Moor pub made famous by the writer Daphne du Maurier - teenage students were forced to spend the night at Callywith College.

Snow depths of 12cm (5in) have been recorded in Bodmin, the Met Office said. Parts of Cumbria have seen 8cm of snow, while there was 7cm recorded in Inverness-shire and 5cm in Powys.

Sammy Wheeler, who runs the Jamaica Inn, said some of those who spent the night had walked “a good three, four or five miles” through the snow to get there.

All 36 rooms at the pub were occupied overnight, with some shared by strangers. Two makeshift dormitories were also set up in the restaurant and lounge areas to help look after the guests, which included children and an eight-month old baby.

Image copyrightPAImage caption The Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor was forced to set up makeshift dormitorie

Paula Martin, chief executive of Cornwall Air Ambulance, was in one of the cars that got stranded on the A30.

“I got within two miles of home and the snow arrived very quickly and very suddenly,” she said.

Within minutes the A30 very quickly became impassable, especially for the lorries - and it went from bad to worse."

Image Copyright @Callywith@Callywith

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Image Copyright @Callywith@Callywith

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Temperatures fell to their lowest level this winter, with Braemar, Aberdeenshire, dropping to -15C (6F) in the early hours of Friday.

This is the lowest in the UK since 2012 - when temperatures fell to -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire.

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British Airways advised customers to check their flight status for cancellations and said people due to travel on short-haul flights were being offered the option to postpone their journey.

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Media captionThree easy tips for driving in the snow

“Safety is always our priority, and we're working hard to keep our operation moving. We're sorry that some of our services are being delayed by the weather conditions,” a spokeswoman said.

Southeastern Trains said it will run its “winter weather timetable” on Friday - adding: All of our London stations will be open, but there may not be direct services on all our routes and you may have to change."

South Western Railway has warned passengers that some early trains may be cancelled on Friday morning while the tracks are checked and cleared.

What's the forecast？

Snow is forecast for central-southern England on Friday morning - with up to 10 cm (4in) possible across higher ground.

This snow in the south will ease through the morning, but much of Scotland and the north-east of England will see snow showers continuing into Friday.

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• Snow set to continue through the night in Wale

What warnings are in place？

There are yellow warnings for snow and ice until lunchtime on Friday in large parts of Wales and England, including London, and northern and eastern Scotland.

They warn of some snow, but not prolonged falls, and say some stretches of road will be icy.

You can read the Met Office guide to its warnings here or watch our handy breakdown.

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