Much of the UK is set to escape further snow, 24 hours after widespread snowfall caused travel problems for motorists and rail users. While Britain is bracing itself for a prolonged cold snap, there will be some respite with dry and bright weather, albeit with a nip in the air. Eastern parts of England and Scotland had snow overnight, with as much as 17cm (7in) falling in some parts of Norfolk, though the majority of areas experienced 2-5cm (1-2in). In Wales there were heavy showers during the night, which turned to snow on higher ground. Temperatures fell to -3C in Bainbridge, North Yorkshire and at Eskdalemuir in southern Scotland, and was below freezing across many northern parts of the UK. Nick Prebble, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, warned there would be a sprinkling of snow along some parts of eastern England today, but said most of the country would be dry. He said: "There will be sub-zero temperatures across much of the UK over the next few nights. South-west England will be a bit milder, but otherwise it will be a bit cold. We are going to see some snow showers in eastern parts of England. Wintry showers will come off the North Sea, so bordering counties could see another centimetre or two of snow where it does fall. But elsewhere it should be fairly dry." Temperatures in London will get to around 3C, and the warmest place in the country will be Cornwall, which will get to around 8C. But they are expected to plunge to around -8C on Wednesday night, with the possibility of more light snow flurries. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning, predicting severe weather for all of England and warning the public to be prepared for the risk of disruption. Thousands of motorists were affected by the cold weather on Monday, and the AA estimated it attended more than 16,000 breakdowns, compared to around 10,500 for an average Monday. It warned drivers to be prepared and carry winter kit in their cars, while the RAC said it had extra patrols on the road as it expected up to 56,000 breakdowns and widespread disruption. The Highways Agency warned motorists to take extra care on slippery an icy roads. The agency has a 500-strong fleet of salt spreaders and snow ploughs on standby should there be a heavy dump of snow or heavily iced roads. | 
