Storm Emma: UK snow could reach 50cm as conditions worsen

Parts of the UK are braced for up to 50cm of snow, as Storm Emma brings worsening conditions.

A highly unusual red weather warning for snow is in force for south-west England and south Wales until the early hours of Friday.

UK roads, railways and airports have been severely hit by snow for a third day, with thousands of schools shut.

Thousands of drivers across the country are stranded in freezing temperatures as police urge people not to travel.

The military has been called in to rescue drivers who have been stuck for several hours on the A31 in Hampshire as police declared it a major incident.

Avon and Somerset police have also declared a major incident over concerns medical staff were unable to get to their place of work.

Police said about 100 vehicles are stuck in snow on the A303 at Ilminster, Somerset, and a rescue operation is under way.

In Dorset, around 100 vehicles are stranded on the A35 near Puddletown and a coach full of elderly passengers have been stuck on roads in Northumbria for eight hours, police said.

In pictures: Snow persists in UK
Follow live updates here
What's behind the UK's freezing weather?
The Met Office has 11 live severe weather warnings for snow, ice and wind in place for the UK. The final warning is in place until 23:55 GMT on Monday.

On Thursday, a seven-year-old girl died after a car crashed into a house in Looe, Cornwall.

In Leeds, a 75-year-old woman was found dead in a snowy street. She was found partially hidden beneath a car in the Farsley area of the city.

Meanwhile, in the south, a 46-year-old man died in a road crash after a collision with a lorry in icy conditions on the A34 near Tot Hill services in Berkshire.


Media captionRiver Chelmer at Maldon in Essex freezes over
Earlier, a woman gave birth to a baby girl in a car on the roadside in snowy County Durham.

National Grid says there may not be enough gas to meet demand in the UK.

If suppliers cannot provide more gas, industry, large businesses and gas-fired power stations will be asked to use less, but domestic consumers would only be affected as a last resort.

source:www.bbc.com