Schools shut by icy weather with more snow forecast

A number of schools have been closed by icy conditions as people have been warned to prepare for further snow.

At least eight schools are closed in Staffordshire, with Moor First School in Stoke-on-Trent and St Leonard's C of E First School in Stafford among those citing unsafe road conditions.

Flooding on some roads has also caused disruption, including in Alrewas, where the National Memorial Arboretum said it was closed on Tuesday by rising floodwater in Croxall Road.

Eighteen flood warnings were in place across Staffordshire at Tuesday lunchtime following the latest snowfall.

The county council says snowploughs have been out again in the Moorlands.

A yellow warning has also been issued for further snow and ice.

The Met Office has said this means people travelling on roads and railways should expect longer journeys.

People should also be aware of icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and try to avoid falls.

James Harper, highways team manager at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said drivers should also take extra care due to flood risks following the snowfall and rain.

He told BBC Radio Stoke the problems can start if drains and sewers become too full.

"We proactively and reactively go out and cleanse gullies, but some of the systems from old Victorian times and Roman times were never designed for the rainfall that we have now," he said.

Mr Harper added that some drains struggled to cope with some of the storms that had recently hit the region.

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