Drivers were trapped for hours in cars, schools faced closure again and flights were suspended as the cold snap’s – possibly – final flurry of snow swept across parts of the UK, the Guardian reports.
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 central London early today.
In Devon, hundreds of drivers were stuck in vehicles until the …

Tonight will be the coldest so far this winter with temperatures dropping to as low as in a domestic freezer, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Lows of minus 17.7°C in Benson, Oxfordshire, and Woodford, Greater Manchester, eclipsed minimum temperatures at many of Europe’s famous ski resorts. The recordings also matched some recommendations for the ideal temperature for freezing food at home.
In England it will not be as extremely cold tonight as there will be a breeze, but …

Five heroin users in Scotland have already died from anthrax and six more are infected with the disease.
The 11 confirmed cases are in the Greater Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Tayside areas, test results are also awaited from another suspected case in Fife, The Times reports.
The rising toll has prompted Health Protection Scotland to issue a warning to all heroin users to stop using the drug, regardless of whether they inject it or take it by other …

Two climbers were killed today in a massive avalanche on Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.
They were found by rescue teams searching Ben Nevis after tonnes of snow swept down the mountainside, the Independent reports.
Police said the avalanche in the Coire na Ciste area was several hundred metres in length. It was one of three to take place on Scottish mountains within a matter of hours and followed a warning from avalanche experts.

Britain has been placed on a New Year high alert as temperatures plummeted to -18°C in some areas and forecasters predicted snowfalls as deep as 12 inches, the Daily Mail reports.
Temperatures are set to drop below freezing on New Year’s Eve with sleet, snow and rain almost certain to plunge the country into chaos once again. The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for Wales, the West Midlands and South-West England, and warned of further …

A Ryanair plane went off the end of a runway today at Prestwick Airport in the west of Scotland, fortunately there were no injuries.
The Ryanair aircraft, Boeing 737-800 from Dublin landed and then slid off the runway because of ice. An eyewitness said it had come to rest partially on the grass, the BBC reports.
All 129 passengers were taken off the plane and back to the terminal. Strathclyde Police said there had not been any …

Fears over the whereabouts of Lockerbie terrorist Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi have been put to rest after staff from East Renfrewshire Council were able to contact him today at his home in Tripoli, Sky News reports.
Local authority staff had been concerned after attempts to contact the terminally ill Libyan failed yesterday. There were also reports that mystery surrounded the bomber’s whereabouts after he could not be contacted either at his home or in hospital.
Criminal justice …

Mystery surrounded the Lockerbie terrorist Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi last night after he could not be reached at his home or in hospital, The Times reports.
Libyan officials could say nothing about the whereabouts of al-Megrahi, and his Scottish monitors could not contact him by telephone. They will try again to speak to him today but if they fail to reach him, the Scottish Government could face a new crisis.
Under the terms of his release from …

The number of people joining the Army in Scotland has increased by 25 per cent this year, despite the mounting death toll in Afghanistan, The Times reports.
Army chiefs revealed that since April 1,000 recruits have enlisted compared with about 750 during the same period last year. The figures also outstrip the 780 who joined in the year ending in March 2008 and the 850 recruited in the 12 months from April 2008 to March 2009.
Units …

Almost one million Scots are unable to read and write properly, according to an influential group of educationalists who have called for an overhaul of the country’s approach to literacy, The Times reports.
According to the Literacy Commission — which also includes business leaders and the novelist Ian Rankin — about a fifth of adults do not have the literacy skills they need for their daily lives. The group have also warned that about 13,000 pupils …

A watchdog called the Portman Group ruled that the 18.2% beer made by the Scottish brewery BrewDog should not be sold by bars, clubs and shops across the United Kingdom, the BBC reports.
The Portman Group said there had been complaints that a message on BrewDog’s Tokyo labels encouraged excessive drinking. The group are issuing a retailer alert bulletin and want the marketing altered.
The message says people must, from time to time, have excess, and adds: …

The Scottish Government have published their white paper on Scotland’s constitutional future, which could pave the way for an independence referendum, the BBC reports.
First Minister Alex Salmond argues that Scotland must be independent to meet its full economic potential.
The minority SNP administration does not have enough support to pass a referendum bill as Labour, the Tories and the LibDems all oppose the plan, but the process could see Holyrood gain more power over taxation and …

Scotland is to be handed sweeping new powers from the Government in its biggest power grab since devolution ten years ago, including powers to cut income tax, the Daily Mail reports.
Nationalist ministers will be able to set drink-drive and speed limits, air gun controls as well as controversially having an unprecedented control of taxation – including stamp duty.
Holyrood will seize a 10% share of all income tax raised in Scotland – being allowed to raise …

57 per cent of Scots would be against opening negotiations on Scotland’s independence, according to a recent poll, and only 29% would say “yes” to such negotiations.
YouGov asked more than 1,100 Scottish voters how they would vote in a referendum using First Minister Alex Salmond’s favoured question which seeks the agreement of Scots for Holyrood to open negotiations on independence with Westminster, The Times reports.
Nearly six out of ten Scots, 57%, said they would answer …

Labour claimed victory last night in the Glasgow North East by-election which was sparked by the resignation of former Commons Speaker Michael Martin, the party won the race with a huge majority of over 8,000 and 59.3 per cent of the vote, the Daily Mail reports.

Party candidate Willie Bain hailed the result, saying that it’s “a great endorsement for Gordon Brown in his efforts to set the economy back on track and it shows the General Election is very much game on”.

A referendum on Scottish independence would cost £9 million, Daily Record reports.
Scottish National Party (SNP) candidate in the Glasgow North East by-election, David Kerr, named the figure on STV’s The Politics Show. “You’re looking at about £9million. But you know what? The cost of freedom – priceless,” he said.
The SNP want the referendum next year.