Jan 7, 2010

Ice causes disruption

The Met Office said severe weather warnings remained in place for eastern England, where up to 5 centimetres of snow is expected during the course of the day, with ice now the main problem as temperatures in most areas remain below freezing. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON - WIDESPREAD ice and sub-zero temperatures continued to cause disruption across Britain on Thursday, with the coldest weather in 30 years showing little sign of easing as forecasters predicted more snow.

The Met Office said severe weather warnings remained in place for eastern England, where up to 5 centimetres of snow is expected during the course of the day, with ice now the main problem as temperatures in most areas remain below freezing.

'Considering we had areas quite widely reporting 20 or 30 centimetres of snow over the last 48 hours, it is nowhere near as much as that but it is still severe weather because it is a case of ice combined with fresh accumulations of snow,' said Met Office forecaster Chris Bulmer. 'The ice problem is not really going to go away, it is going to be quite persistent over the next few days.'

He forecast further snowfall across eastern areas for the rest of the week, with possible heavy outbreaks across much of England and Wales on Sunday.

If the extreme weather continues until Saturday, it is estimated that the disruption could cost the UK economy up to 2 billion pounds (S$4 billion). The Federation of Small Businesses estimated about 10 per cent of workforce missed work on Tuesday and Wednesday because of problems getting to work.

Temperatures as low as -17 C were recorded overnight in Oxfordshire, with many inland areas remaining between -10 C and -15 C into Thursday. -- REUTERS

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