Dozens of flood alerts and warnings as treacherous conditions remain

Weather warnings for snow and ice are in force across much of the West Country after severe flooding and snow caused travel disruption and school closures.

A yellow snow and ice warning is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, coastal parts of North Wales and Merseyside and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, until 10am on Tuesday.

The same warning is in place for western and northern parts of Scotland until midday, and in Northern Ireland until 11am.

Here in the South West, which is under a yellow alert for snow and ice today, before another alert comes in tomorrow, Devon and Cornwall Police is urging people to not travel unless necessary following heavy snow and icy conditions.

The Force has been responding to several crashes across the two counties - and says the A30 between Bodmin and Okehampton is particularly affected, along with some roads on Dartmoor.

Gritters have been out across the South West overnight - as a yellow weather warning for snow and ice remains in force.

Swindon Borough Council said their gritters covered more than 200 miles of road, ahead of this morning's rush hour.

Across that Borough alone, the are 550 miles of roads in Swindon, and around half of that are major routes that most of the borough's residents and businesses use frequently.

These are the roads which see grit when the road surface temperature is likely to freeze.

Flood warnings and alerts also remain in force, with a few areas urged to 'act now' in Wiltshire and Somerset.

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency in the South West has extended its Amber Cold-health alert has been issued.

They say that forecast weather is likely to cause significant impacts across health and social care services, including:

• A rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. We may also see impacts on younger age groups
• A likely increase in demand for health services
• Temperatures inside places like hospitals, care homes, and clinics dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks
• Challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18°C leading to more risk to vulnerable people
• Staffing issues due to external factors (such as travel delays)
• Other sectors starting to observe impacts (such as transport and energy)

Across the nation

A critical incident has been declared by East Midlands Ambulance for the first time ever, with flooding partly responsible for the "level of escalation".

A major incident was declared by authorities in Lincolnshire on Monday night, with a warning that more flooding could occur on Tuesday.

Lincolnshire Resilience Forum said 40 flood warnings and 29 flood alerts were in place across the county, with reports of 62 properties "internally flooded".

"We are keeping a really close watch on this as it develops because we know that there might potentially be more flooding, particularly in areas which may be affected by tidal waters," a statement said.

It also said emergency services were on standby at Greatford, near Stamford, to monitor the West Glen River, which it said threatened to inundate 49 properties in the area.

The Environment Agency has issued a severe flood warning, meaning danger to life, for the River Soar covering caravan parks near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire.

Across England, there are also 198 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 300 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

Commuters suffered travel misery on Monday, with major roads closed and railway lines blocked.

Firefighters in Leicestershire rescued 59 people, while the body of a man was recovered from an area of flooding in North Yorkshire.

Police said the man has been formally identified, but efforts to trace his next of kin were ongoing, adding that there are currently no suspicious circumstances surrounding the discovery.

At a Lincolnshire primary school, parents were told to stay away until the end of the day, with fire brigade vehicles ready to carry children through the flood waters.

Hundreds of schools were closed across the country, in areas including Lancashire, Yorkshire and north-east Scotland.

In the Commons, environment minister Emma Hardy told MPs flooding was "a personal priority" for her, adding that the Environment Agency was particularly concerned about Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire.

Warning of further "localised" flooding to come over the next 24 to 36 hours, she pledged to overhaul the Government's approach to funding flood defences "to ensure the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are taken into account when delivering flood protection".

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