Now they're using sand from the beach to grit the roads

FRESH misery was heaped on swathes of Britain paralysed by heavy snow today as forecasters warned the big freeze will retain its grip into next week.

School closures and latest travel information

Scarborough Borough Council confirmed it was now using sand from the resort's beach to grit pavements in the town.

In a statement, the local authority said it had not had as much salt from the county council as it had hoped for and was concentrating its main gritting effort on priority routes.

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It said: "We have decided to dedicate other staff from across our operational services to carry out further spreading on some other footways using sand from the beach.

"These are principally at sites where high pedestrian demand is experienced, including in some residential areas."

As levels peaked at 1.5ft (47cm) in parts of the country, emergency measures to alleviate the gritting crisis and allow Britain's biggest salt mine to supply the country day and night were put forward.

Crucial transport networks went into meltdown during heavy snow flurries across the south as tens of thousands of children enjoyed an extension to their holidays after school closures.

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Councillors said they would look favourably on suspending planning restrictions limiting lorry movements to and from Winsford's salt mine in Cheshire as commuters on the roads and rails suffered one of the worst days of disruption this winter.

But amid fears over the dwindling grit supplies and the rising casualty rate, the Government insisted services will "weather the storm".

Lord Mandelson said: "There is something about Britain when it rains or snows - quite why the grit is not there in sufficient scale or leaves on the line or snow flakes in front of the engine... sometimes eludes me.

"But we are now well prepared and both our transport connections and our energy supplies will weather the storm."

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The arctic weather cost Britain's businesses an estimated 690 million today as almost half of workers stayed at home because of the chaos caused by the snow and ice.

With emergency services stretched, mountain rescue teams and a police helicopter were called in to search for Matthew Duffield, 36, who went missing from Burnley General Hospital overnight in sub-zero temperatures.

An elderly man died after his car went out of control on an icy road in Titchfield, Hampshire, while six-year-old Thomas Hudson remained in a critical condition in hospital after plunging through ice into a pond in Crookham Common, near Thatcham, Berkshire.

It also emerged a group of elderly people had been rescued after being snowed in at the All Saints Day Centre in Uplands, Stroud, Gloucestershire, for more than 24 hours. In Nottinghamshire, an eight-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital for a kidney transplant after getting stuck because of the freezing weather.

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After striking Scotland and the north of England, the heavy snowfall moved south to the home counties and London.

Forecasters MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said the lowest temperatures overnight were -13C (9F) in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire and -10.3C (14F) in Marham, Norfolk.

Julian Mayes, senior forecaster at MeteoGroup, said: "There will be more during the day across the south, meaning more disruption on the M3 and M4.

"The deepest in the south is 24cm (9.4in) at Odiham RAF base, just outside Basingstoke - but parts of the northern Highlands have recorded 47cm (18.5in), making the area a clear top of the snow table."

The cold snap would continue into next week, he added.

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Hampshire, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Surrey and Buckinghamshire all saw "exceptionally heavy snowfall" as the blizzards moved south.

Airports were shut, roads closed and train journeys cancelled, causing misery for millions.

Hundreds of stranded motorists had to be rescued by the Army after drivers were trapped in their cars overnight on the A3 in Hampshire.

The runway at one of the biggest airports - Gatwick in West Sussex - remained closed this morning with more than 80 flights cancelled.

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Bristol and Exeter were among other airports shut today, but the UK's busiest airport - Heathrow in west London - was open, although there were delays and cancellations there.

Sections of a number of major roads were closed today, including the A628 in Derbyshire, the A616 in South Yorkshire, the M1 in South Yorkshire, the A66 in Cumbria, the A27 in Hampshire, the A3 in Surrey and the M40 in Oxfordshire.

Grit stocks in England were generally holding up to demand, according to the Highways Agency - but several areas warned of shortages.

In north London, Harrow Council said only 650 tonnes of salt remained - enough for four days at the heaviest rate of spreading, or more than a fortnight at a lighter rate.

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Supplies had also nearly run out in West Berkshire, one of the most badly affected areas, with only enough left to cover the main roads one more time.

Cheshire West and Chester Council said it could temporarily scrap planning limits to help the national grit emergency.

Council leader Mike Jones said: "The original planning condition limits lorry movements because lorries pass residential properties.

"However, in the current emergency we have advised the company that we would certainly look favourably on any request they make to temporarily lengthen the hours for lorry movements."

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Some rail passengers in Sussex took six hours to reach London on a journey that would normally take about 60 minutes.

A number of rail services were cancelled or delayed and passengers' attempts to find out which services were running were hampered by difficulties logging on to the National Rail Enquiries website.

Health services also revealed they were stretched. All operations deemed to be "non-urgent" were cancelled at hospitals in Oxford.

Amid fears for the safety of vulnerable members of society, South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) also warned it would have problems reaching those with minor injuries.

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More than 70 schools in East and West Sussex announced they were closed today while at least 108 schools in Manchester were also shut, with Warrington closing all its schools in the borough.

National Grid, which issued only its second ever gas balancing alert (GBA) on Monday after a 30% surge in seasonal demand, said the warning would not be repeated today.

But Britons look set to face record fuel bills of more than 200 for January as they turn up their heating to cope with the cold snap, comparison website energyhelpline.com said.

A trail of footprints in the snow led police officers to suspected car thieves in Filton, near Bristol, officers from South Gloucestershire police said.

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Page 2: 15:13In Knighton, Powys, Mid Wales, a police helicopter delivered food and medical supplies to a family who have been stranded for more than two weeks.

A spokesman for Dyfed-Powys Police said the family had difficulty getting out because they were in a very rural location but they were also reluctant to leave their horses uncared for.

He added that a member of the family was in need of medication, which was being taken in the helicopter.

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Page 3: 15:44A lorry driver killed yesterday as snow and ice caused traffic chaos has been named by police.

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Peter Fleming, 53, from Barmburgh Close in Leeds, died when his lorry and another HGV collided at junction 25 of the M60 motorway in Greater Manchester.

The other driver received minor injuries.

Mr Fleming was pronounced dead at the scene, following the crash at 10am, Greater Manchester Police said.