Forecasters warn of more heavy snow

Graham Eales and daughter Caitlin, 25, enjoy the snow in the Brecon Beacons

Forecasters have issued a severe weather warning for heavy snow in parts of north and mid Wales.

The bad weather continued overnight, particularly in Powys and Wrexham, although much of the snow in south Wales has now melted.

The Met Office has warned of more sleet and snow in Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Powys on Wednesday, with five to 10cm expected on higher ground.

Most roads are currently open after gritters worked around the clock.

Andrew Jones, a highways manager at Powys council, said extra gritting crews were called out at 0200 GMT when conditions in the north of the county worsened.

"Once the snow started yesterday we were out all over the region until midnight, then we had lull for a couple of hours but we called extra crews out at 2am because conditions in the north worsened," he said.

"In Brecon they managed to stay on top of things and the roads improved quickly."

Mr Jones added crews had struggled to make some roads safe because of the thickness of the snow.

"We struggled with a few because more snow had blown in but we had all our gritters, that's 36 wagons, out from 5am," he said.

"The main roads are looking pretty good and we have moved off the primary network to secondary roads."

Elsewhere, the Bwlch mountain road at Nantymoel, Bridgend and the Rhigos mountain road at Hirwaun, Rhondda Cynon Taff have re-opened after they were both closed because of hazardous driving conditions.

Cwmavon Road in Torfaen, between Cwmavon and Blaenavon, has been closed after a tree fell onto an unoccupied car.

Torfaen council said it would remain closed all day over concerns that further trees may fall because of the amount of snow on them.

Motorists across the country are being warned to drive with care.

There are no reported delays at Cardiff Airport, although passengers are being advised to check flights are running on schedule.

Bristol Airport is warning that there may be some disruption to its flights due to adverse weather conditions across the UK and Europe.

Some Stena Line ferries to Ireland from Holyhead on Anglesey have been cancelled after gales battered the area.

Irish Ferries say Ulysses was having difficulty docking at Holyhead, due to 50mph easterly winds.

Salt sales increase

Jonathan Powell, a senior weather forecaster, said much of the snow that hit the south east Wales valleys on Tuesday was now heading north.

"I think those who were hit yesterday are unlikely to be hit again today, although it will still be cold," he said.

"The snow line is now pushing north."

Council gritters have been working constantly to ensure most roads can stay open.

It was also reported that sales of salt had soared by up to 400% in supermarkets as customers stocked up to clear slippery paths and roads.

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