Doing the cool run

Snow blankets parts of the country.. while rest gets a heavy soaking

- JEREMY ARMSTRONG & PAUL BYRNE

SNOWFALL left parts of Britain too cool for school yesterday with children told to stay at home.

But instead of keeping warm at home in freezing temperatures, many used it as an excuse to slope off to nearby hills to go sledging and throw snowballs.

Weather warnings for rain and snow were in place across all four home nations and schools closed in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cumbria and Wales.

Overnight temperatures reached a low of -18.8C in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands while in Plymouth temperatures hit a high of 11.9C.

Oli Claydon, from the Met Office, said: "This demonstrates the different air masses, hence the rain warning in the south while the colder air in the north leads to the risk of snow." There was significant snowfall in much of Wales, the Midlands and northern England.