4 Feb 2009

Wintry blast set to continue in Britain

10:15 pm on 4 February 2009

the Met Office warned.

Britain continued to battle with freezing weather on Wednesday. Most of the country would suffer from icy roads with heavy snow forecast for northern Scotland,

the Met Office warned.

The bad weather is set to continue, with more snow predicted across Britain on Thursday.

Thousands of children were due to have another day off school as many schools in parts of England and Wales remained closed.

However, public transport was beginning to return to normal after two days of severe disruption.

Network Rail said most train operators were now trying to run a normal service although some lines were suffering some delays and cancellations.

BAA reported that most airports were beginning to return to normal with just a few flights cancelled.

The Highways Agency warned drivers to take extreme care and not to travel in areas worst hit by snow.

Girl dies in sledging accident

In Sheffield, a girl was killed after suffering serious injuries in a sledging accident, police said.

Francesca Anobile, 16, was one of four teenage girls involved in the crash at Rother Valley Country Park on Tuesday.

She was flown to hospital but died hours later, South Yorkshire police said. Another girl, Nikki Burns, 16, is being treated for injuries in hospital.

Media reports said the girls had been using an improvised metal sledge made out of the roof of a car. The sledge crashed through a barbed wire fence before hitting another fence at the bottom of a hill.