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© Darren Staples/Reuters
Commuters were delayed, schools closed and flights suspended again today as the cold snap's possibly final flurry of snow swept across parts of the UK.

The government told local authorities to cut back further on the use of salt to conserve stocks, while business leaders called for urgent talks between local authorities, transport and salt mining companies, schools and businesses, to improve emergency responses.

The Federation of Small Businesses said the bad weather had brought the economy "to a standstill", with estimates that the chaos of the last few weeks had cost at least £600m a day.

"We need to be better prepared with more salt stocks for roads and better guidance for headteachers on when to close schools, to prevent staff from missing days of work and bringing the country, and the economy, to a standstill," the federation's chairman, John Wright, said.

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© Phil Cole/Getty Images
The south-west of England was particularly badly affected last night and this morning, although the band of wintry showers also hit the Midlands, the south-east and London early today.

The misery was made worse for many people by the suspension of rubbish collections: in some areas bins have not been emptied for three weeks.

Departure boards with long lists of cancellations and delays confronted commuters trying to get into and out of the capital by train. There were delays of up to two hours on South West Trains services through Woking, Surrey, and buses replaced trains on Southern routes, including Eastbourne to Brighton. Scores of London Midland trains were cancelled or delayed by an hour or more in and out of Euston and the company replaced trains with buses between Worcester and Hereford.

There was further chaos on First Capital Connect services crossing London, where in addition to weather problems passengers have suffered delays and cancellations for weeks caused by driver shortages.

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© Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty ImagesAdults tow children on sledges across the village green on their way to class at Oakwood infant school in Hartley Wintney
Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail users' watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "The severe weather which has gripped Britain is testing the transport system and passengers' patience. Long-term, the industry must learn lessons from their experience over the past fortnight and ensure that passengers receive a better service during similar cases of bad weather in the future."

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies rejected suggestions from Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union, that staff shortages and cuts were contributing to the chaos.

The spokesman insisted: "Staff across the network have been doing an extraordinary job against the odds day in, day out for more than a week to keep trains running and the railways open as far as possible for business.Neither passengers nor staff are helped by misleading claims about the impact of the weather on the railways."

Dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled at Heathrow and other London airports, and Birmingham, but Cardiff and Southampton had reopened by lunchtime.

One person was taken to hospital after a car skidded down an embankment and ended up upside down on the roof of a factory near Huddersfield. A lorry skidding on ice hit a house in Morley, near Leeds, but there were no injuries.

The M5 was down to two lanes near Tewkesbury at one point and there were lane closures on the M4 and M32 in Bristol. The M48 was closed in both directions over the old Severn Bridge crossing and bus routes across Bristol were disrupted.

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© Ben Birchall/PAA digger clears snow in Princetown, in Devon, where snow fell overnight blocking off the town
In Devon hundreds of drivers were stuck in vehicles until the early hours and police escorted some people to makeshift rest centres. Some drivers caught on the A38 in Exeter were angry that it took so long to clear the road even though the heavy snowfall had been predicted. The rescue effort was hampered by a three-car pile-up and numerous jackknifed lorries.

Higher ground in Devon, particularly on Dartmoor and Exmoor, had drifts of three metres or more of snow. The snow eased in the early hours, to be replaced by rain showers. These fell on frozen ground and were expected to cause more dangerous conditions.

Snow brought traffic chaos in the south Wales valleys, with motorists taking hours to move a few miles and some routes still shut this morning. Police in some areas said people should attempt to drive to work only if absolutely necessary. Hundreds of primary and secondary schools across south and west Wales were closed.

In Scotland a number of roads in the Highlands were closed. According to folklore, St Hilary's Day ‑ 13 January ‑ can be the coldest day of the year. But after the freezing start to the year it will feel relatively warm in some places, with temperatures in most areas ranging between 0C (32F) and 3C (37F).

Forecasters said the weather was expected to stay chilly until the weekend and then turn warmer and wet. For the moment, the Met Office has continued to issue severe weather warnings for most of England and Northern Ireland.

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© PAA fresh snowfall lies on Parliament Square, London, on St Hilary's Day which, according to folklore, is traditionally the chilliest day of the year
The latest snowfall comes as the government demands further cuts in road gritting. The transport secretary, Lord Adonis, has announced it must be cut to half the levels of this time last week to conserve stocks. Local councils said ice had caused a higher than usual number of potholes, with some estimating repair bills running into millions.

The communities secretary, John Denham, praised the way people had pulled together to help each other during the snow. "Alongside the excellent work of the public services in responding to the severe weather we have seen many tremendous examples of the way Britain's communities have pulled together, with people lending vehicles, digging clear paths to allow ambulances and police vehicles through and visiting neighbours in need," he said.

The snow has led to some unusual sights. Residents in the Forest of Dean have had close encounters with hungry wild boars that have sneaked out of the woods to forage in bins. "Snow rolls" ‑ large cylindrical formations of snow familiar on the prairies of North America but rarer in the UK ‑ have been spotted in fields in Somerset.

Meanwhile, brave ‑ or foolish ‑ football fans were setting off from Plymouth to Newcastle, a round trip of more than 800 miles, for an FA Cup replay.

At the Birdland sanctuary at Bourton-on the-Water, in the Cotswolds, a pair of snowy owls have had to be brought indoors, after their outdoor aviary collapsed under the weight of the snow.