Big ice chunks plunge on cars.

Byline: By TOM MORGAN

BRITAIN remained in the grip of winter yesterday as more heavy snowfalls completed five days of chaos.

The two main roads between England and South Wales were closed after sheets of ice up to a metre square fell from overhead sign gantries and smashed the windscreens of five vehicles.

Meanwhile 200 motorists were helped to safety after being stranded overnight when snow fell a foot deep in Devon.

They were helped from their cars by police, Army and civilian teams on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter and the A386 near Tavistock.

Thousands of schools across the countrywere forced to close while travellers faced airport hold-ups and train and bus service delays.

The two Severn bridges were closed for "safety reasons in the present weather conditions", the Highways Agency said.

Both the M48 Severn Bridge, which is 43 years old, and the M4 Second Severn Crossing, which opened in 1996, were shut.

One lane in both directions on the M48 bridge reopened after nearly six hours, with a speed limit of 50mph, while the other bridge remained fully closed until further notice.

Jim Clune, general manager of Severn River Crossing PLC, said sheets of ice up to a metre square fell from overhead gantries and smashed the windscreens of five vehicles.

He said: "It's very much a safety hazard and of course these gantries span all carriageways on the motorways."

There were no reports of injuries or accidents. The incident was "very unusual" and may have been caused by thawing, he added.

The stranded motorists in Devon were helped by police and Army teams who used 4x4s to reach trapped drivers, with other motorists choosing to make their own way to safety.

Around a million children enjoyed an early start to the weekend as up to 4,000 primaries and secondaries were shut.

In the West, more than 1,000 schools were closed, while similar numbers were shut in the Thames Valley and in a combination of eastern England plus counties to the north of London.

South and mid-Wales was also badly hit, with more than 200 closed.

Luton Airport was closed for a number of hours and when flights resumed they remained subject to delay and/or cancellation.

Services at Bristol were also suspended for a large part of the day, with many flights cancelled.

Forecaster Rachel Vince said today "will be a cold day, and there should be some sunshine around, then Sunday sees another weather feature coming in from the west, and there may be some snow, turning to rain."

CAPTION(S):

The snow on the A30 at Okehampton and, inset, traffic battles through on the M1; An empty Second Severn Crossing as falling ice up to a metre square caused the bridge to be shut by the Highways Agency