Fresh snow spells more school closures

Fresh snowfall across the UK has resulted in schools remaining closed in certain parts of the country.

Thousands of schoolchildren have been enjoying more time off, as fresh snow continues to affect selected areas of the UK. In Scotland, at least 900 schools are shut, with local councils stepping in and closing each one of the sites personally. Over in Northern Ireland, there have been 700 closures with just 70 in Cumbria. Around the country, even in places without snowfall, temperatures remain to be sub-zero with Scotland seeing freezing lows of -17C.

For drivers, the Met Office is continuing to warn of icy roads across most of the country. In Scotland in particular, police are advising people to only take essential journeys as the country’s Transport Minister, Mr Stewart Stevenson, has had to make apologies to hundreds of motorists that became stranded overnight and were forced to sleep in their vehicles or in local schools that the authorities made available for temporary accommodation.

On the UK’s roads, the AA have had to attend to 7,700 breakdowns before mid-day, having dealt with almost 25,000 the day before. In Strathclyde, in excess of a thousands vehicles have been completely abandoned or are still stuck in the snow as 1,000 officers patrol the area and try to help out.

Concerning the UK’s animals, protection agency RSPCA has reported that it has dealt with 5,476 rescues, as well as overwhelming amounts of complaints and collections, across the UK from the 26th to the 3rd of September. To handle demand, it has had to send every one of its 425 inspectors out into the harsh conditions.