Kirsty Smallman reports on the day the snow returned with a vengeance.

The A53 was blocked after an accident this morning. Picture by Star reader Matthew Venables.

Heavy snow and driving blizzards brought traffic chaos to Shropshire and Mid Wales as the second big chill of the year hit the region.

Residents woke up to discover the snow had returned heavier than earlier on in the week, making it one of the worst hit regions in the UK. 

Hundreds of workers were forced to walk to work or stay at home for the day. Drivers had to turn back as some roads became treacherous and impassable. Other roads were left blocked with crashed and abandoned vehicles.

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Shropshire Star weatherman, John Warner said the temperature today would hover about 0C (32F) but might drop as low as -4C (25F) tomorrow, and added: “I think we could easily be in line for some of the heaviest snow.”

He said wintry showers were expected Friday and Saturday with the cold spell easing slightly on Sunday. 

One man who enjoyed the day off work after the heavy snowfall was Ray Pearson, of Castlefields, in Shrewsbury. He said he and his wife Mary would not be going to work and was walking his collie-cross Nessie along the weir this morning.

He said: “We did try to get the car out but because cars are parked so close together it is difficult to move without skidding and hitting other people. We have been told to stay at home if we can and that is what we will do today.”

The weather had also caused problems with trains and at UK airports. Bosses at Wrexham & Shropshire railways reported delays of up to 30 minutes on all routes to and from London Marylebone during the morning peak hours.

The runway at East Midlands Airport near Derby was closed as staff worked to clear it. And staff at Luton Airport also warned passengers of delays as clearing work went on. 

Police warned drivers to take extra care on the roads in a bid to avoid any further accidents.

Met Office chiefs have issued an alert stating there is a high risk of heavy snow affecting parts of the Midlands later on today.

Sergeant John Roberts from West Mercia Constabulary said: “It is important for motorists to remember that carrying out normal, everyday manoeuvres takes longer when the surface of the road is wet, icy or covered in snow. 

“Braking in these conditions takes up to 10 times longer than braking on a dry road. It is vital that motorists slow down and allow extra time to break and stop. 

“Drivers should be mindful that not all roads are gritted by the local highways authorities and in any case, gritting a road does not mean it is safe. Roads can re-freeze after being gritted so it is safer to treat every road as not gritted and drive in accordance with the conditions.” 

Meanwhile, bosses at West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics dealt with a stream of accidents due to the weather this morning and urged parents and children to take extra care while playing in the snow. 

They urged youngsters to keep off frozen lakes and to sledge away from hazards after a 12-year-old Sheffield girl was killed in a sledging accident. 

Rob Ashford, chief operating officer, said: “On Monday, a quarter of the trusts calls were to cases of patients having suffered injury after a fall.” He said if people were making a journey on foot they should wear appropriate footwear.

He added: “With the number of school closures ever increasing, we are appealing to parents to ensure their children are playing safely away from hazardous environments such as frozen lakes and canals. The trust has seen a number of sledging and snow-related incidents over the last couple of days.”

Mr Ashford also urged pensioners to take extra care and not make unnecessary journeys.

He said: “With icy conditions and snow showers set to continue, the trust is expecting an increase in 999 calls due to falls, slips and road traffic collisions that could have been avoided by following this simple safety advice. 

“Each time we receive a call to help someone who has been injured whilst enjoying the snow, ambulance staff have to be extremely careful as they too are at risk of slipping and falling in treacherous conditions,” he added. 

Meanwhile, as fears of a lack of salt to grit the roads spread across the UK, highways chiefs revealed they had been forced to import salt into the country to cope with the demand.

Cleveland Potash, the Highways Agency’s second supplier, said it had arranged for 40,000 tonnes of salt to be imported from its sister mine in Spain to meet the increased demand. 

The agency, which is responsible for England’s motorways and A roads, said it was confident it had enough salt to keep routes ice-free. But Hertfordshire County Council, one of the councils which said stocks were running low, said it was seeking additional supplies from abroad. 

Other councils which were saving their salt for main roads include Ceredigion County Council, in Mid Wales, which said Salt Union had told it not to expect further deliveries. 

Rhondda Cynon Taf council, in the South Wales Valleys, closed three mountain roads last night and accused the Highways Agency of “blocking” its salt orders although Salt Union said it was continuing to supply on a ratio of 35 per cent to the Highways Agency and 65 per cent to the local highway authorities. 

The agency stressed it was “not seeking, nor receiving, preferential treatment from the salt suppliers”. And councils are also counting the added cost of sending gritting teams out. 

Daniel Adamson, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said there had been up to 10cm (4in) of snow overnight in areas such as Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, the south and east Midlands. “It’s not really following a path, it is rotating around,” he said. 

London was expected to be spared after heavy falls earlier this week, though there is a chance of some snow in the capital tomorrow morning. 

Tomorrow the UK will see a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, Mr Adamson said, with Saturday expected to be cold but sunny in inland areas, and Sunday could bring more sleet and snow. 

Two teenage girls remained in hospital today after a sledging accident in the Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, on Tuesday claimed the life of Francesca Anobile, 16. 

In Northern Ireland there was heavy snowfall and roads were closed in parts of counties Down and Antrim.