Snow, Freezing Rain, Ice And Car Pile-Ups

Snow, rain and ice are returning to parts of Britain, causing dangerous road conditions that have led to a number of accidents including a multiple pile-up.

Police in Gateshead said six vehicles collided on the A194 southbound junction with the A1, trapping people in their vehicles.

On the Blaydon Highway flyover, Tyneside, several vehicles collided in the ice.

Officers have warned motorists and pedestrians to take extreme care as freezing rain in some areas brings more hazards.

Overnight frost in the North led to slippery conditions on many roads with black ice in some places.

In Cumbria alone, there have been reports of 100 weather-related road accidents and black ice has been blamed for many of them.

A spokesman for Cumbria County Council added: "A 'perfect storm' of rain falling on freezing ground has caused extremely hazardous road conditions in Cumbria this morning.

"The council's gritting crews have been operating at full capacity overnight and this morning treating priority one and two routes and, where possible, non-priority roads and footways."

Northumbria Police's Chief Inspector Sarah Pitt said: "Rain is falling but freezing as soon as it hits the road surface. This is leading to very icy conditions and we would advise motorists to drive slowly and be mindful of this, even on roads that have been gritted."

Much of the UK is predicted to see more snow as the country continues to shiver in the Arctic freeze.

Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: "Parts of England will see 1-5cm (0.4-2in) of snow overnight, anywhere east of Wales and Somerset and as far north as Yorkshire.

"Rain is now more likely across Devon, Cornwall and Wales, but southeast Wales has a risk of snow early tomorrow.

"Over the hills of England there could be as much as 10cm (4in) of snow by Friday morning.

"Ice will be an issue this evening and overnight, particularly for northern and eastern England."

The good news is the sub-zero temperatures are expected to improve slightly over the coming days, but the mercury will still be struggling to get above freezing in many places.

Meanwhile, train companies say they are working with Network Rail (NR) to run empty 'ghost' trains and de-icer units to keep tracks and overhead cables free of snow and ice.

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: "The whole industry will be working hard to get people from A to B as quickly and reliably as possible."

A NR spokesman added: "We are working closely with the forecasters and train operators to track the weather system across the country and put plans into action to run the best possible train service for passengers."