Schools closed after heavy snow

Flights at Luton Airport were cancelled but the runway has re-opened

More than 280 schools in Buckinghamshire, 170 in Bedfordshire and 162 in Hertfordshire have been closed due to the severe weather.

School transport in Buckinghamshire was cancelled, but was operating in Bedfordshire and also in Hertfordshire, but with some disruption.

Some flights were cancelled at Luton Airport but the runway later re-opened.

To preserve supplies, Essex County Council took the step of reducing the number of roads being gritted.

It said all major roads, plus other roads serving larger towns and villages would be treated.

A council spokesman said: "Several centimetres of snow is predicted to fall over the next 24 hours in parts of Essex with below freezing night time temperatures continuing for the foreseeable future putting continued pressure on the council's winter gritting service."

Two teenagers were taken to hospital after a sledging accident on the Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire.

The boys suffered ankle and shoulder injuries as their sledge crashed in woods on the hillside on Thursday night.

More than 150 schools stayed closed in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as areas were braced for more snow.

Most outpatient clinics with Peterborough and Stamford NHS were cancelled.

Sixteen schools in Essex were closed.

The runway at Stansted Airport was closed for a time but re-opened after snow was cleared away.

Flights were subject to some delays, and passengers were advised to leave plenty of time for their journey to the airport.