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© Andrew Milligan/PAThe Peugeot 406 car after it went through ice covering the Union Canal in Winchburgh, West Lothian.
Two men have been arrested after trying to make the best of the cold spell by driving a car down a frozen canal - only to plunge into the icy water.

The pair were driving on the Union Canal, which runs from Edinburgh to Falkirk, near Winchburgh, West Lothian, yesterday afternoon when the ice gave way beneath them, police said.

The men, aged 22 and 24, escaped but were arrested and charged with reckless conduct after emergency services discovered the car. They will appear in court at a later date.

A Lothian and Borders police spokesman described the prank as "stupidity". "There is no doubt that these two individuals had a lucky escape, and had the canal been deeper there could very well have been a different outcome," he said.

"The ice is now starting to thin and there is always going to be the danger that it will give way, with potentially fatal consequences."

Ice is melting around the country, with forecasters predicting that temperatures will gradually rise this week. But there are warnings of more heavy snowfalls in parts of south-west England and south Wales today and tonight. Blizzards and up to 25cm of fresh snow are expected on high grounds.

"The slow thaw of lying snow continues across much of the country with daytime temperatures a few degrees above freezing," a Met Office statement said.

"The gradual rise in temperatures is expected to continue into the weekend as westerly winds bring milder weather and some rain to all parts for a time."

This morning, the government's emergency committee, Cobra, met for the second time since the start of the cold snap. Ministers reported how the country was getting back to normality as the UK's longest spell of freezing weather in almost 30 years comes to an end.

The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, reported that overall the travel situation was "as good as it could be", with all major roads and rail lines open, apart from some routes over the Pennines.

The communities secretary, John Denham, paid tribute to the thousands of people who have volunteered during the cold snap to help with tasks such as clearing paths to ensure schools can remain open. Fewer than 1,000 schools are now closed, compared to 10,000 last week.

The "salt cell" committee, which brings together agencies responsible for the supply and distribution of salt for road gritting, also met this morning.

Meanwhile, UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), announced it had decided to extend its January deadline for applications for higher education courses by a week.