SUFFOLK awoke today to a covering of snow – but it was nowhere near as bad as expected.Thousands of children across the county had been keeping a close eye on the weathermen's forecasts and hoping for a snow day.

SUFFOLK awoke today to a covering of snow - but it was nowhere near as bad as expected.

Thousands of children across the county had been keeping a close eye on the weathermen's forecasts and hoping for a snow day. But it was not to be.

Some places had up to an inch, but in the Ipswich area there was just a sprinkling, while Felixstowe and other coastal areas had a covering, but still not enough for a snowman or to close the schools.

Weathermen had forecast between five and ten centimetres and were still insisting there is more to come and are now saying Wednesday could be the worst day of the coldest week of the winter so far.

Frequent snow showers are expected to continue and temperatures today were unlikely to get above five degrees C and feel much colder in biting north-east and easterly winds from Scandinavia.

Over the weekend temperatures peaked at about 4C (39F), which was too high to allow snow to lay in most parts, however they are likely to fall to -1C (30F) at times over the next few days.

Places such as Felixstowe which awoke yesterday to a white world saw it disappear in just a couple of hours as temperatures rose and the sun came out.

Evening Star weatherman Ken Blowers said the weather was sweeping in across eastern Britain from northern Europe and Russia.

"It's all caused by a high pressure belt which is extending from Greenland to Scandinavia," he said.

"For East Anglia, that means we will have cold easterly winds throughout the week. Winter has really come at the end of the season with a vengeance."

Main roads across the county and in towns have been gritted and today were running smoothly with no problems.

Police have warned motorists to keep their speed down because of the possibility of ice, and to take extra care on sideroads where the snow had settled and the gritters have not scattered salt.

Drivers have also been advised to be prepared with a "winter weather kit", including warm clothes, a hot drink, de-icer, a torch and a spade.

The NHS is calling on people to take care and to prepare for the cold spell.

Health experts advise that falling temperatures can lead to a higher risk of people catching colds or influenza - or even dying.