UP to eight inches of fresh snow fell on coastal areas of Suffolk overnight - creating more hazards for drivers today.

Richard Cornwell

UP to eight inches of fresh snow fell on coastal areas of Suffolk overnight - creating more hazards for drivers today.

In Felixstowe all the town's hills were out of action, and with other roads at the resort untreated it was set to be a very slow and slippery journey for motorists, even the shortest of trips.

One driver described the sideroads as “utterly treacherous”.

There was an added danger for drivers at breakfast-time with fog around the Felixstowe and Trimleys.

On the A14 the road surface was snow and ice but traffic was moving steadily between 30mph and 40mph.

Weather forecasters said there would be no let up during the day with predictions of more snow showers to come along the coast, possibly bringing up to another two inches in places.

While it was warmer by the sea with temperatures barely getting down to freezing, inland they fell to minus 6C in places.

In parts of Britain it was the coldest night of the winter. In the western highlands of Scotland the temperature dropped to minus 21C.

Headteachers were up early to assess the situation and by 6.15am Suffolk County Council was reporting more than 20 school closures.

Yesterday more than 250 decided to shut - many for the second day running - and today looked likely to be the same with widespread travel problems and ice on school sites.

While gritters had been out salting the main priority routes around the county, police were still urging people to drive carefully and leave plenty of time for their journeys.

A Suffolk police spokeswoman said: “The weather is forecast to continue for some time yet so we are renewing appeals for drivers to moderate their speed and drive to the conditions.”

The Port of Felixstowe re-opened for a time late yesterday afternoon with some truckers from the Operation Stack holding area able to move down to the port as others at the 700-acre complex were dealt with.

The poor weather led to train operator National Express East Anglia cancelling this morning's 6.25am and 6.55am service from Norwich to London Liverpool Street.

John Law, a forecaster with Weatherquest, said today would again be very cold and icy.

“As we head through the day there will be snow showers which could be heaviest in the eastern part of the county. Temperatures could be struggling to get above freezing.

“The wind will be more north-easterly in Suffolk and as we head into the weekend the wind will increase making the temperature feel bitterly cold.”