UK weather: Schools closed across Wales and England

Hundreds of schools across Wales and southern parts of England are closed due to snow and icy conditions.

More than 500 schools are shut in Wales, with about 200 in Berkshire, 250 in Wiltshire and 300 in Buckinghamshire also closed.

There are yellow warnings in place for snow and ice in parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

At Bristol Airport more than 100 flights have been suspended while snow is cleared from the runway.

Bristol Airport said the majority of the day's flights had been cancelled and advised passengers to check flight information with their airline.

British Airways, which cancelled dozens of flights from Heathrow Airport on Friday morning, is also advising customers to check their flight status.

Meanwhile, the Met Office has warned of "treacherous driving conditions" in some southern areas.

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In Cornwall, more than 100 people spent the night at the Jamaica Inn pub after their cars became stuck on the A30.

On the trains, Transport for Wales said services were now running as normal after some disruption in the morning, while Great Western Railway - which earlier warned of disruption until 12:00 - said a near-normal service had resumed.

In East Ham, east London, a baby girl was found abandoned in a shopping bag in park in near-freezing temperatures on Thursday evening.

Ovidijus Zvaliauskas found the baby with his mother, who was walking her dog.

He told BBC News it was so cold the baby had frost on her head. "There's no words for it. It's terrible," he said.

The newborn girl was taken to hospital and is said to be in a stable condition. Medical staff have been calling her Roman, as the play area she was found was situated just off Roman Road.

School closures include:

• Over 500 schools in Wales are closed as well as half the schools in Bristol
• Hundreds of schools across the regions which were affected by the Met Office's amber weather warning - which covered Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire - are closed
• More than 150 schools in Cornwall and over 250 in Somerset are also shut
• In Scotland the closure of 17 schools and nurseries in the Highlands means 500 children will be getting a snow day
• Students at Callywith College in Bodmin were forced to stay overnight

Other disruption includes:

• Power cuts in part of the south of England have been reported
• Southeastern Trains has introduced a winter weather timetable for Friday morning
• Cardiff Airport is open but some flights have been cancelled affecting Rugby fans heading to this evening's France vs Wales Six Nations match in Paris
• Bournemouth Airport has reopened after being closed early on Friday morning
• Some bin and recycling collections have been cancelled across Wales and the south of England
• Chepstow Racecourse has cancelled Friday's meet
• For more information, tune in to your BBC local radio station or check the BBC Weather page

The South West was worst affected on Thursday night, with snow depths of 12cm (5in) recorded in Bodmin, the Met Office said.

Parts of Cumbria have seen 8cm of snow, while there was 7cm recorded in Inverness-shire and 5cm in Powys.

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Sammy Wheeler, who runs the Jamaica Inn, said some of those who spent the night had walked "a good three, four or five miles" through the snow to get there.

All 36 rooms at the pub were occupied overnight, with some shared by strangers. Two makeshift dormitories were also set up in the restaurant and lounge areas to help look after the guests, who included children and an eight-month old baby.

"People were incredibly high spirited," Ms Wheeler said.

Temperatures fell to their lowest level this winter, with Braemar, Aberdeenshire, dropping to -15.4C (6F) in the early hours of Friday.

This is the lowest in the UK since 2012 - when temperatures fell to -15.6C in Holbeach, Lincolnshire.

Further rain, sleet and snow is forecast for central-southern England and south-eastern Britain on Friday afternoon.

Wintry showers will continue for eastern areas and northern Scotland into the evening with light rain or sleet expected in the south-east.

Travel disruption is likely throughout Friday and into Saturday due to lying snow and ice.

There are yellow warnings for snow and ice covering large parts of Wales and England, including London, and northern and eastern Scotland.

They warn of some snow, but not prolonged falls, and say some stretches of road will be icy.

An amber warning means there is a likelihood of impacts from severe weather including a potential risk to life and property. People should be prepared to change their plans to make sure that everybody is safe.

Yellow warnings are issued for low level impacts including some disruption to travel. People should check the latest forecast and check how they might be impacted.

You can read the Met Office guide to its warnings here or watch our handy breakdown.

This temperature comparison tool uses three hourly forecast figures. For more detailed hourly UK forecasts go to BBC Weather.

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