© 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.
