Temperatures set to drop further

Britain's coldest snap for 20 years shows no sign of letting up, as temperatures threaten to plummet across the UK overnight.

Almost anywhere in the UK can expect a further covering of snow on Sunday and Monday, the BBC Weather Centre said.

Temperatures are expected to drop to as low as -10C (14F)in some rural areas, while towns are likely to see the mercury drop to as low as -4C (25F).

Driving groups warn that ice is making roads extremely dangerous.

'Significant snowfall'

Councils are running low on road salt and Gloucestershire County Council has said it will resort to using table salt to treat roads.

The BBC Weather Centre's Jay Wynne said: "Overnight we're going to see harsh widespread frosts in some rural areas easily down to -8C or even -10C.

"Starting in Northern Ireland, there'll be snow tomorrow - in the afternoon and evening it will spread to northern England and southern Scotland."

A fresh wave of snow is expected to hit the country on Monday

He said snow was likely to stay on the ground in Scotland until the early hours of Monday morning. However, in southern areas, snow is less likely except on high ground.

However, there was the likelihood of "significant snowfall" on Monday evening as a new weather front moved in from the south, our forecaster said.

Falling temperatures in the Bristol and Bath region meant roads and pavements were frozen on Saturday. The Highways Agency and Great Western Ambulance Service urged people to stay at home.

Police forces across the West Country advised motorists to only make journeys if they were essential, as many roads were covered in black ice.

The M4 bridge crossing the Severn and the M48 Severn Bridge were closed for a time, due to falling ice, but both have now reopened.

It is alarming that we face a grit shortage as the country has to contend with more snow and freezing weather Theresa Villiers, shadow transport secretary Your pictures: A week in the snow Wales: Bridge reopens after ice closure Dorset: Widespread icy roads across South Scotland: More heavy snow

Some councils in England have been running out of road salt, with the Highways Agency saying supplies were "very limited".

Gloucestershire County Council has ordered 500 tonnes of white table salt from a company in Cheshire.

Stocks in west Berkshire are at 20% of normal levels and are expected to last only another two or three days.

Cheshire-based Salt Union said staff were working around the clock but still could not meet demand.

A container ship is travelling from Spain with 40,000 tonnes of salt, and another ship is also heading to the UK with 1,600 tonnes of salt from Germany. Both are expected to dock on Wednesday.

• In Somerset there are 500 homes without power after snow and ice made access to necessary power line repairs difficult. Western Power says it hopes to have restored electricity by the end of Saturday.
• A man is in hospital in Swindon with serious head injuries after a gang of teenagers beat him unconscious when he asked them to stop throwing snowballs at his car.
• Bath's Royal United Hospital has cancelled orthopaedic surgery for the weekend because its staff have struggled to get to work.
• Monday's race meeting at Wetherby has been abandoned after the track failed an inspection.
• Northamptonshire Police said the freeze had left roads in the county in a treacherous condition.

Meanwhile, the Irish Salt Mining and Exploration company in Carrickfergus, Antrim, is digging up to 6,000 tonnes of salt a day, having been inundated by calls from councils across the UK.

The BBC's Alex Bushill in Bristol said many councils in the west of England have recently taken salt deliveries and that the situation is now better than it was on Thursday, when supplies were being effectively rationed.

Paul Bettison, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA) Environment Board, said eight councils had to prioritise supplies to focus on the most important roads.

He said: "If that fails to deal with any issue, then councils will talk to the Highways Agency to look for further supplies."

But Theresa Villiers, shadow transport secretary, said: "It is alarming that we face a grit shortage as the country has to contend with more snow and freezing weather."

Paul Watters, head of roads policy at the AA, said: "The 40,000 tonnes coming on the ship from Spain does not sound a lot - just one salt run can be 130 tonnes, and you have to think of all the different authorities that are involved.

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