UK braced for cold snap as Storm Bella gives way to snow and ice warnings
Video report by ITV News Reporter Martha Fairlie
Large swathes of the UK are braced for a cold snap, as the clear up operation following Storm Bella begins.
Snow and ice warnings are in place across the country and snow had already fallen in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England by Sunday afternoon.
The Met Office has put in place a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across most of Scotland and parts of northern England and north Wales for Sunday, with snowy scenes pictured in the Peak District and in Stirlingshire.
By Monday, a second yellow warning for snow and ice is in place across all of Wales and some of the remaining parts of England from the Midlands down towards the south coast.
The caution, in place from midnight until 6pm on Monday, warns of the potential for injuries from icy surfaces and delays to trains and road transport.
The chilly temperatures follow several days of wintery weather over the Christmas period which saw flooding in parts of southern England before Storm Bella arrived on Boxing Day with winds of more than 100mph.The top wind speed was recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight where it reached 106mph overnight on Saturday.
Aberdaron in north west Wales experienced gusts of 83mph, and locations on the south coast of England, including Dorset, got close to 80mph.
Trees and trampolines were strewn across roads in southern England, which had been subjected to a stronger Amber weather warning for wind overnight.
Flooding was also reported in parts of eastern England by the morning, with kayakers taking to the roads in Norfolk in an attempt to get about the water logged streets.
Severe flooding in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire forced hundreds of people from their homes on Christmas Day, as the River Great Ouse burst its banks.
A number of homes were flooded as the water rose on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but there are now signs that the flood water has stared to recede in Bedford.
The Khalsa Aid charity, which earlier this week provided food to lorry drivers stuck in Kent, helped people affected by the flood waters, providing sandbags and volunteers.
Only when the flooding has gone down will the full extent of any damage caused by the surging water become clear.Meanwhile in north Yorkshire fire crews had to rescue a number of people from vehicles stranded in floodwater overnight, after Storm Bella caused severe downpours.
As of 10pm on Sunday, 99 flood warnings remained in place across England calling for immediate action as flooding was expected, alongside almost 200 flood alerts.
Two severe warnings in place in Northamptonshire – suggesting the potential for danger to life – which were in place on Sunday morning have since been downgraded.
Despite the bad conditions, gales meant that for the first time ever, more than half of Britain’s electricity was generated by wind power on Saturday.
According to energy firm Drax, 50.67% of the country’s power was produced by wind turbines on Boxing Day.