Frozen Britain will be hit with cold winds and heavy snow this weekend
FROZEN Britain will be battered by bitterly cold winds and heavy snow this weekend as the coldest winter in 30 years tightens its icy grip, *forecasters have warned.
The warnings came after the country suffered its coldest night of the winter so far with temperaturesplunging to almost minus 22C (-7F).
Thousands of schools remained shut yesterday, and disruption continued to road, air and rail travel.
An easterly wind was forecast to move from the south of England across the country, bringing with it a biting chill factor and heavy snow.
The Met Office issued an early warning of severe or extreme weather affecting London and the South-east, saying there was a ?high risk of severe weather affecting Kent, East Sussex and eastern parts of West Sussex?.
It added: ?Outbreaks of snow starting on Saturday afternoon will become heavy and persistent during the evening and last into Sunday morning.?
It predicted up to five inches of fresh snow falling over the region with it reaching up to eight inches in some spots.
?Drifting in the very strong winds will cause even greater accumulations in places,? it warned.
The lowest recorded temperature yesterday morning was in Altnaharra in the Highlands, where it was -21.6C (-7F). Elsewhere, the cold weather has led to companies having their gas supplies reduced as the National Grid tries to ensure there is enough gas for households.
.."the day after tommorrow" comes to mind 
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