Brits told to brace for snow and ice after Storm Bella chaos
27 December 2020, 19:00
Brits have been told to brace themselves for a cold snap, with snow and ice warnings coming into force across the country in the aftermath of Storm Bella.
Snow had already fallen in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England by Sunday afternoon - as more than 300 flood warnings were in place across England following days of stormy conditions.
The Met Office has put in place a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across most of Scotland and parts of northern England and north Wales for Sunday, with snowy scenes pictured in the Peak District and in Stirlingshire.
Read more: 'Danger to life' flood warnings issued and snow forecast for much of UK
One father who got to see his children sledging in Northern Ireland described the snow as "excellent fun given the year it's been".
Edward Murphy, 35, who lives near Coleraine, said: "We live on a hill with these steep fields just behind us.
"The kids had just received these new Axiski sledges from their grandparents on Christmas Day and so dragged me out at 8am this morning to try them out."
By Monday, a second yellow warning for snow and ice is in place across all of Wales and some of the remaining parts of England from the Midlands down towards the south coast.
The caution, in place from midnight until 6pm on Monday, warns of the potential for injuries from icy surfaces and delays to trains and road transport.
The chilly temperatures follow several days of wintery weather over the Christmas period which saw flooding in parts of southern England before Storm Bella arrived on Boxing Day with winds of more than 100mph.
Storm Bella: The worst of the bad weather is over
The top wind speed was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight where it reached 106mph overnight on Saturday.
Aberdaron in north-west Wales experienced gusts of 83mph, and locations on the south coast of England, including Dorset, got close to 80mph.
Trees and trampolines were strewn across roads in southern England, which had been subjected to a stronger Amber weather warning for wind overnight.
Flooding was also reported in parts of eastern England by the morning, with kayakers taking to the roads in Norfolk in an attempt to get about the water logged streets.
As of 4:30pm on Sunday, more than 102 flood warnings remained in place across England calling for immediate action as flooding was expected, alongside almost 200 flood alerts.
The two severe warnings - suggesting the potential for danger to life - which were in place on Sunday morning have since been downgraded.
Despite the bad conditions, gales meant that for the first time ever, more than half of Britain's electricity was generated by wind power on Saturday.
According to energy firm Drax, 50.67% of the country's power was produced by wind turbines on Boxing Day.
