As threat of more snow recedes, widespread ice prompts Met Office to issue appeal for people to take extra care when driving
Accidents on ice have closed the A1 Great North Road in Yorkshire, while trains and flights have suffered delays as the UK's weekend snow takes its time to thaw.
Fears of further downfalls have receded but temperatures are expected to remain low in many areas with a gradual north-west/south-east divide expected for much of February, according to forecasters.
Milder but more unsettled weather is settling in across the north-west, where Atlantic weather has driven back the icy easterlies coming from Scandinavia and Russia. By contrast, a cold but clear pattern has developed in the east and south, where most of the transport trouble has been experienced.
The meeting of the two fronts helped to account for particular problems on 25 miles (40km) of the A1 between Allerton Park and Dishforth, where rain from the west encountered very low temperatures from the east overnight. Rapid freezing turned parts of the dual carriageway into an ice-rink in both directions, according to North Yorkshire police, as lorries jack-knifed and bands of freezing fog added to the problems.
No one was seriously hurt but the road was closed north and south at 2.15am, and police have asked drivers to find alternatives. Further south, the stretch of the A1 near Church Fenton, south-east of Leeds, saw lows of -8C (16.5F) and visibility down to less than 100m after 15cm of snow at the weekend.
A spokesman for North Yorkshire police said: "Traffic conditions on the A1 northbound from Dishforth and all the way to Leeming and beyond are treacherous. There have been a serious of accidents which have resulted in the A1 northbound being shut while emergency services clear the scene."
Nine other severe weather alerts are in force in areas where the variable thaw is proving slower, with ice the factor in all cases. The Meteorological Office issued a general appeal for extra care when driving, with patches of ice likely to have escaped the generally successful gritting operations.
Trains and flights are getting back to schedule after many delays and cancellations over the weekend but operators warned a return to normal services might take some time. A broken-down train and electrical supply problems hit South West Trains, with buses laid on for Portsmouth and serious delays for trains to London Waterloo.
Southeastern has also suffered delays to commuter services and a spokesman said: "Low temperatures are set to continue for several days. Please take care when travelling and allow additional time for your journeys."
Heathrow airport's cancellation of half of 1,300 scheduled flights on Sunday was criticised by travellers camped on terminal floors as an over-reaction, with runways getting only 6cm of snow at the weekend. But a spokeswoman said the measures had avoided worse disruption and the transport secretary, Justine Greening, called the action "the right decision".
The spokeswoman said: "We took the decision with airlines and air traffic control to reduce the flight schedule in advance. This allowed airlines to rebook some people on to flights that are departing, and passengers have had better quality information about whether they can fly or not."
Sledgers, skaters and snowballers enjoyed a grand weekend but not without casualties, who include a 55-year-old father flung from his sledge at high speed on a family outing at Terrington in North Yorkshire. He is being treated for spinal injuries at James Cook university hospital in Middlesbrough.
The weather will improve slowly, according to forecasters, with temperatures on Monday likely to reach 10C (50F) along the western seaboard but remaining much lower in the east, at a predicted 1C (33.8F) in East Anglia and 2C (35.6F) further south-east.
The Meteorological Office suggested the north/south divide will settle down this week and for the rest of the month, with milder weather slowly gaining the upper hand. It warned this could lead to more snow as the easterlies reluctantly retreat, but by late February there should be "a gradual trend toward less cold and more changeable conditions in many areas".