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Transport services hit in fresh snow blast
Bus services across Preston have been hit as the city woke up to another snow deluge.
An extra three or four inches of snow fell on already-frozen roads overnight.
Services were delayed as Stagecoach struggled to get buses out of its Frenchwood depot due to treacherous conditions on Manchester Road.
A number of buses were involved in minor shunts during the morning, a spokesman for Stagecoach said.
One lane of the M6 southbound near Galgate was shut on Tuesday morning, while rail services on the West Coast mainline and the Bolton-to-Preston line were delayed.
Delays have also been reported on the M61 and M55.
The Met Office are predicting another two to 5cm of snow to fall in Lancashire during Tuesday with temperatures expected to plunge below freezing again overnight.
Eight schools which have opened on Tuesday have been shut while councils have reported a high volume of calls.
The AA reported one of its busiest days on record yesterday, dealing with more than 20,000 breakdowns by the end of the night - more than twice the normal level.
Temperatures were predicted to fall to zero (32F) in central London overnight, minus 4C (25F) in Newcastle, minus 4C in Glasgow, the same in Manchester and minus 2C (28F) in Cardiff. In parts of northern England they could reach as low as minus 9C (16F), and minus 13C (9F) in the highlands of Scotland.
Manchester airport - where passengers had to endure long waits just to reach the check-in desk - gave out food, water and blankets overnight to people stranded by delays.
"Staff are working incredibly hard to clear the ice and snow from our 750 hectare site," a spokesman said, warning of further havoc.
In Bradford, police appealed for witnesses after a man was found dead in a freezing city centre pond.
The victim, named locally as Trevor Farr, who was 55 and from the city, is reported to have suffered a heart attack before falling in the pond.
Paul Mott, from Meteogroup, said northern England would see temperatures as low as minus 9C in rural areas.
There would be less snow on Tuesday, he said, but plummeting temperatures meant the continuing risk of ice.
He said: "There is certainly a lot of grit on the roads at the moment but one of the problems is that there is a risk of ice on untreated roads.
"It will be feeling cold over the next few days but it will be drier than it has been."
Have you been affected by the snow? Tell us your stories - call (01772) 838166 or email jenny.simpson@lep.co.uk and send your pictures to picturedesk@lep.co.uk
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
