'Hit-And-Run' Deaths: Tandem Cyclists Named

The car involved in an alleged hit-and-run crash that killed a husband and wife on a tandem bicycle was being followed by police, it has emerged.

The couple, who died at the scene of the collision in Bristol, have been named as 34-year-old Ross Matthews Simons and 30-year-old Clare Simons.

And police investigating the accident revealed the Citroen Picasso involved had collided with the cyclists just moments after officers tried to pull it over.

Lower Hanham Road is west of central Bristol

A statement issued by Avon and Somerset Police said: "Shortly before 4pm yesterday (Sunday), a police officer's attention was drawn to a Citroen Picasso travelling along Lower Hanham Road at speed.

"The officer indicated to the car to stop but it made off. The officer began to follow the car but it was lost to sight almost immediately. Very shortly afterwards the car stuck another vehicle and then collided with two cyclists on a tandem bicycle."

A 38-year-old man is being held by police after being arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving and the matter has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Police also said a 35-year-old woman had been arrested, on suspicion of dangerous driving.

Friends of Mr and Mrs Simons said the couple had been together for many years, married for around 18 months - and that they desperately wanted children.

Family friend Diane Pullin, said she got to know the couple because her son-in-law Darren worked for Mr Simons' father.

Police tape at the scene of the tragic collision

"They are a lovely family, so kind and so helpful," she said.

"They don't deserve this. They'd just had news that they were able to have fertility treatment... everything to live for.

"It's just terrible and it shouldn't have happened. Two young people with their lives in front of them... snapped away just like

that.

"They were trying for children and they had just been told they could have fertility treatment. Everything to live for, they were such a lovely family."

And Inspector Frazer Davey urged any witnesses to come forward.

"Following investigations overnight the circumstances of this collision have become much clearer," he said.

"However I would appeal to anyone who witnessed this incident or saw this car in the area shortly before the collision to come forward and contact us.

"This is a tragic incident in which two people have needlessly lost their lives. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with their families."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or visit www.avonandsomerset.police.uk

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HS2 Rail Link: PM Vows Plans Will Go Ahead

David Cameron has insisted high-speed rail links to the north of England will go ahead despite a growing backlash at the plans.

The second phase of the Government's plans will take the route beyond Birmingham, with five new stations at Manchester, Manchester Airport, Toton in the East Midlands, Sheffield and in Leeds.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin is bringing forward public consultation on the plans to 2013 in a bid to fast-track the project.

The £32.7bn plan is one of the coalition's priorities as it tries to kickstart the economy. Construction is due to start in 2017 with the first trains in service by 2026.

Pro-HS2 campaigners hailed the plan as "visionary" but there was immediate concern about the effect on the counties involved.

Some Conservative backbenchers attacked the proposals and the Stop HS2 group challenged claims that it will help the economies of northern cities.

The route will cut through areas of outstanding natural beauty

Pressed on whether he could be forced into a U-turn, Mr Cameron said: "This is going to happen. I have been a strong supporter right from the start.

"We do need to rebalance the economy, it has been too dominated by the south and by certain industries and high speed rail will really help to create a better balanced economy."

Chancellor George Osborne insisted the network would be an "engine for growth" in the north and the Midlands, creating tens of thousands of jobs.

He admitted communities along the route would face "very difficult" disruption to their lives but said the economic benefits were "pretty compelling".

The original link connects London to Birmingham, after which it splits into a Y-shape with two branches, one up to Manchester and another to Leeds.

The branch running via Manchester Airport will include a spur to Crewe to speed up trips to Liverpool and Scotland by better connecting to conventional services.

The second branch - which includes Sheffield being served by a station at the Meadowhall shopping centre instead of the city centre - could prove more controversial.

The plans are being opposed in some rural communities

Officials said interconnections would be improved at any stations sited outside cities.

A "parkway" station is set be included at Toton between Nottingham and Derby.

But a proposed spur to Heathrow has been put on hold pending the results of Sir Howard Davies' review of future airport capacity - which is not due to give a final report until the summer of 2015.

Instead, passengers heading to the world's busiest airport will have to change onto the new London east-west Crossrail service for an 11-minute transfer to terminals.

The Department for Transport said the journey from Manchester to Birmingham would be reduced to 41 minutes and from Manchester to London to 1 hour 8 minutes - almost half the present times.

Leeds will be 57 minutes away from Birmingham compared to 1 hour 58 mins today, and 1hr 22mins away from London Euston, down from 2hrs 12 minutes - official projections say.

Mr McLoughlin hailed the rail project as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform Britain's connectivity, capacity and competitiveness".

He admitted: "I know that this project is controversial" but added: "This is not about short-term popularity. It is about doing what is right for the country in the long-term."

The project has been welcomed by civic and business leaders in the region, who predict that the number of jobs created could be far higher than the 100,000 cited by the DfT.

But it has also proved controversial, especially in picturesque Tory heartlands which will be affected, such as the Chilterns, infuriating MPs and countryside campaigners.

Conservatives in Chancellor George Osborne's Tatton constituency have already indicated that they will object to plans to route the line through parts of the Cheshire countryside.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who is also MP for Sheffield Hallam, was forced to defend the move not to run the new line into Sheffield city centre.

"The city centre option is not a cost-free one. It would be a lot more expensive and also the train link would be slower, which slightly defeats the purpose of the whole exercise," he said.

Campaign group Stop HS2 claimed high speed rail projects elsewhere had "sucked jobs to the capital cities" and that this project would do little to regenerate the north.

Chair Penny Gaines said: "HS2 is a London-centric proposal that seems focused on extending the London commuter belt beyond Birmingham, when we need to create an engine for growth in the North, providing access to jobs for people who want to live and work in the North."

Labour backs HS2 - which was begun under its administration - but says there are "worrying signs" that the timetable for delivering it is slipping.

The High Court is currently considering whether the first phase of the project, which will take high-speed trains from London to Birmingham, is legally flawed and needs to be reconsidered.

The challenge was taken to the court by campaigners who accused the Government of failing to undertake a "strategic environmental assessment" or arrange an adequate consultation process.

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Brazil Fire: Nightclub Owner Is Arrested

The owner of a Brazilian nightclub where 233 people died in a fire has been arrested, according to the AFP news agency.

More follows...

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Baby Rescue: Nurse Revived Harbour Fall Boy

A woman who gave CPR to a six-month-old baby after he had been rescued following a fall into freezing waters says she had never done it before.

The boy, Sam Cooper Stevens, was rescued from the water by a dockmaster and then revived by Tanya Allen, a nurse who had rushed to the scene after hearing screams of help.

"I was really quite worried when I was doing the CPR on him that I didn't hurt him, that I didn't break his ribs. And was I doing it right? Because he was a baby," Ms Allen told Sky News.

Sam is recovering in hospital, where doctors say his condition is no longer life-threatening.

Six-month-old Sam is recovering

The baby, who was strapped to his buggy, was swept into the water by strong winds as his mother Kate Cooper walked along Watchet Harbour, Somerset, on Sunday morning.

The pushchair was upturned in the water.

"It just suddenly became horrific," Ms Allen recalled.

Dockmaster George Reeder dived in and pulled it to the wall, and then Ms Allen threw a rope over and, with the help of others, hauled it to dry land.

"It must have been 10-12 foot down, it was a long way down and it took three or four of us pull it up because it was very heavy by that time," Ms Allen said.

"We were hoping that he was going to be OK, but he had been under the water for a little while so it wasn't looking too good at that time."

She said Sam did not appear to be conscious as he was pulled out of the water. 

"I took the baby out of the pushchair and I started CPR on him straight away," added Ms Allen, who said she had received training many times as a psychiatric nurse but had never performed CPR before.

The first aid technique can be used where someone is not breathing properly or if their heart has stopped, and consists of chest compressions and sometimes rescue breaths.

Baby Sam was airlifted to hospital

"I've never, ever - thankfully - had to give this sort of life support in a real-life situation," she said.

Ms Allen was worried she might hurt the tiny baby. "But then I thought, 'Well if I don't do anything this is going to be disastrous'," she said.

She soon noticed the baby started breathing, though keeping him warm until the air ambulance got to the scene was also a problem.

Soon after, Sam was airlifted to hospital.

"I'm so glad I had the training and I think a lot more people should have that training so if they come across something like that your instincts kick in," she said.

The infant's father, Martyn Stevens, said Ms Allen had been "brilliant", and he thanked all the rescuers involved. He said he was at home at the time of the accident.

"I just remember the brilliance of everyone," he said, saying their response had been amazing.

Avon and Somerset Police said a gust of wind appeared to have blown the buggy into the water.

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Payday Loan Sites' Dirty Tricks To Boost Traffic

By Jason Farrell, Sky Correspondent

A Sky News investigation has found that some payday loan brokers have benefitted from hacking into websites to divert the history and status of a legitimate business to their domain.

This increases their ranking on Google, and the tactic has given unregulated brokers access to online traffic worth millions of pounds.

The findings come as the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) prepares its report into dirty tricks in the market, due to be published in February.

Every month, tens of thousands of potential customers use Google to search for payday loans.

The search engine has a complex algorithm based on a website's history and credibility which tries to ensure that users are directed to the most appropriate websites.

However, Google's natural listings system can be tricked. Sky News found three payday websites that were stealing the credibility of other websites to boost their ranking. The target victim sites included a music business, a graduate website and even a church website.

In November last year, Sky News discovered established music licencing website Ricordi was one of several domains that began ranking highly for selling payday loans on the front pages of Google. Clicking on the link diverted the user to a payday broker's site.

Dr Joseph Somerhalder says brokers have been 'stealing identities'

Web analyst Dr Joseph Somerhalder from search optimisation company Chillicow explained what was happening.

He told Sky News: "They hack into the website. They optimise the website for something that it is not about such as payday loans. Then they wait for the right moment, and then they forward all the history and all the credibility from the old website, the legitimate business, into the illegitimate business."

He added: "It's a bit like stealing your identity online. They take the website's identity and history and they point it somewhere else."

Ricordi is owned by Universal Music Group. A spokesperson for the company said: "We recently discovered the unauthorised access to our Ricordi UK website. UMG takes the protection of its sites very seriously and has implemented measures to prevent a recurrence of this type of event."

But other companies may not be aware of the hacking. Using web analysis software, we found that over 10,000 websites have been compromised by this technique on one server alone.

Sky News spoke to the owners of UK graduate website Gradfunding which was also in the process of being hijacked.

Dr Luke Blaxill, director of the website, said he was also trying to deal with the problem.

"To get rid of this we are going to have to rewrite every bit of code on the website and transfer it to a new server."

The payday loan intrusion meant his company was starting to fall down the listings for its own business operations and it could lose years of building up an online reputation.

Dr Blaxill said: "It has taken years for us to get to the position that we are in this particular market and for that effectively to be almost rewritten overnight by a scammer, is a real problem."

Gradfunding was among the target victim websites

Raihan Islam from JAR Applications, which fixed the problem for Gradfunding, told Sky News: "What they did was inject a malicious code into the web server, and the files trick Google by the method of cloaking.

"They then bomb the site with payday loan links to increase its ranking for payday loans and redirect the traffic to their scam website. That's when the hacker starts making money."

During the investigation we found church website Canada had been hacked for this purpose. We also discovered 21,000 payday loan links had been pointed at a Bonsai society website.

There are concerns these tactics leave UK loan customers exposed to unscrupulous, unregulated brokers.

Over the last two months Sky News conducted test searches on Google for payday loans which produced websites high in the natural listings that were in breach of OFT regulations.

Several had no consumer credit licence, a requirement for any loan broker and lead generator.

Some websites claimed to be 100% secure, but actually had no data protection when customers entered their bank details. This exposes customers to fraud and identity theft.

We also found many websites broke legal requirements on transparency to customers, such as failing to prominently display a representative APR or an address where the company can be contacted.

Sky News found three payday websites involved in dirty tricks

Some legitimate lenders in the industry have told us they are aware of the problem. Many of them advertise on Google's pay per-click service as an alternative to the natural listings.

One lender who did not want to be identified suggested the price of Google's sponsored links have gone up because demand has increased with legitimate companies struggling to get on the natural listings.

"Google could solve this problem by tightening up their algorithm" he suggested. "But they have no incentive to do so. We're all having to use the sponsored listings to get any traffic to our websites."

He added: "But customers don't realise that some companies on the natural listings don't have a consumer credit licence, which means they don't have to tell the customer how much they're going to pay back, which feeds into some of the problems we're seeing at the moment of customers not able to pay back their loans."

Google says its key motivation is to try to direct customers to the best websites.

A spokesman told Sky News: "As part of our on-going effort to reduce webspam and return high-quality websites to our users, we are constantly improving our search algorithm to better detect and decrease rankings for sites that we believe are violating Google's quality guidelines and engaging in webspam tactics to manipulate search engine rankings."

For legal reasons we are not naming the websites linked to hacking but we have passed our evidence to the OFT, which told us: "The OFT is clear regarding the standards it expects from those businesses that it regulates and has publicised an extensive suite of guidance documents. We take very seriously any evidence tending to show that businesses are not meeting the standards set out in our guidance.

"The guidance for credit brokers and intermediaries states that creditors should satisfy themselves that persons they deal with are appropriately licenced. Accepting leads from unlicensed sources would raise concerns about a lender's fitness to hold a consumer credit licence."

At one point during our investigation we found the highest ranking website on Google was a four-day-old domain registered to a field in California.

Just a few days in this position can earn the web owner tens of thousands of pounds. Yet this site was in breach of several regulations and displayed nothing on the website to suggest it was licenced to sell loans in the UK.

Last November, the OFT opened formal investigations into the tactics used by an number of payday lenders. But if the regulator wants to properly police the market, it seems it is going to have to work with Google.

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Flood Fears As Snow Melts And Rain Moves In

Heavy rains combined with milder temperatures which are thawing the snow that has blanketed much of Britain have sparked fears of flooding across the country.

Large parts of the UK are on alert for flooding, and the Met Office is warning people to be prepared for potential travel disruption.

The Environment Agency (EA) has issued 79 warnings across England and Wales, meaning flooding is expected, urging people in the Midlands, South West, Wales and Anglian region to take immediate action against predicted flooding.

Another 325 alerts, meaning flooding is possible, are also in place - increasing every few minutes - after the agency warned of an increased risk of surface water and river flooding.

Flooded roads in Lincolnshire this morning (Pic: Kevin Leach)

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued seven flood warnings and 11 alerts.

The AA said crews had been called to at least 17 motorists stuck in water since midnight.

A woman was forced to abandon her car after it became stranded in flood water on the A34 at Meaford in Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service pumped water from the road - 4ft deep in some places - into a nearby culvert on the advice of the Environment Agency, and warned motorists from driving through flood water after being called out to rescue several people.

The A34 at Meaford (Pic: Staffordshire Police)

There were reports of flooding in south Wales too overnight after downpours replaced almost two weeks of snow.

Norfolk Police also reported flooding caused by melting snow and ice, which has closed a number of roads in the area.

Forecasters are predicting a very wet spell through the latter part of Monday and into Tuesday too.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "After very mild, wet and windy weather on Saturday night, snow has melted rapidly. The combination of heavy rain and the thaw has brought flooding in places.

A house collapses in Barnsley, apparently under the weight of fresh snow

"Flooding will continue to be a concern during Monday and Tuesday as further active frontal systems are set to sweep east bringing gales and heavy rain.

"Western and southwestern parts are most at risk with around one to two inches of rainfall, perhaps more on higher ground.

""The outlook is for it to remain generally mild, windy and unsettled."

Rising temperatures of up to 12C (53F) have sparked a rapid thaw of the snow and ice, after heavy snow storms on Friday night left hundreds of people stranded on motorways in the north of England.

The M6 was blocked in both directions between junctions 25 and 27 in Lancashire when a sudden burst of more than a foot of snow brought drivers to a standstill from around 8.30pm.

An EA spokesman said: "Emergency teams from the Environment Agency will be out in force throughout the weekend, shoring up defences, monitoring river levels and clearing blockages from watercourses."

Around 18 buildings were flooded in various locations across Wales on Friday night, including two houses in Solva, Pembrokeshire, and two in Dolgellau, North Wales.

:: Send us your flood photos and videos

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Murray Beaten In Australian Open Final

Novak Djokovic has beaten Britain's Andy Murray in four sets to take the Australian Open title in Melbourne.

Murray's bid to claim back-to-back grand slam titles ended in disappointment but Djokovic's victory makes him the first man to win the tournament three times in a row.

The first two serve-dominated sets were decided on tie-breaks before Djokovic claimed the first break of the match late in the third.

It proved a pivotal moment with US Open champion Murray, who was struggling with blisters on his right foot and a hamstring problem, unable to mount a fightback as Djokovic cruised through the fourth to complete a 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2 success.

A clearly emotional Murray was gracious in defeat, saying on court: "Firstly obviously, I'd like to congratulate Novak. His record here is incredible.

"I'd also like to thank my team. They've done a great job with me and they help me all the time.

Djokovic is Australian Open champion for the third successive year

"I'd also like to thank the whole crowd, there's such a great atmosphere to play in and you're all very fair, so thank you very much."

He added: "I'll see you guys next year. Thank you."

Djokovic had the better chances in the first set with five break points over two games, only for Murray to serve his way out of danger.

The world number one's frustration at failing to convert his chances, coupled with irritation with his footwear, boiled over in the tie-break as his game fell apart, allowing Murray to take the lead in the match.

The Scot was the aggressor in the second set as he looked to double his advantage.

He had three chances to leap into a 2-0 lead but Djokovic held on to take it to another tie-break, which was tight until Murray threw in just his third double fault of the tournament at 2-2.

The 25-year-old put his first serve into the net and was shaping up to deliver the second when he noticed a feather dropping on to the court out of the corner of his eye.

Murray had to call for a medical break to get treatment for blisters

Having removed it, he appeared to lose his focus and put the second serve long.

It was all Djokovic needed to level the match and the momentum appeared to swing further in his favour when Murray had to call a medical time-out for blisters at the change of ends, with television pictures showing the extent of the damage to his right foot.

The momentum was with the top seed and he needed no second invitation as he set up three break points for a 5-3 lead.

Two poor forehands saw the first two come and go but Murray could not escape a third as Djokovic claimed the first break of the match before serving it out.

Murray was clearly upset at umpire John Blom for not doing more to quieten the crowd and in particular one heckler who had forced him to halt his service action twice at important points of the third set.

Yet he started the fourth on the front foot, setting up his first break point chance since the second game of the second set only for Djokovic to close the door with a booming serve out wide.

By now, Murray was also clutching his left hamstring and it was no surprise that Djokovic broke again for 2-1, winning a long rally at 30-40 after a tired-looking Murray jammed a backhand into the net.

The match was slipping away from Murray and he dropped his serve once more on a double fault, allowing Djokovic to establish a 4-1 lead.

The effort was certainly there as the world number three continued to chase down every ball despite being in obvious discomfort but there was no let-up from Djokovic as he completed his 21st consecutive win in Melbourne and gained revenge for his defeat to Murray in the US Open final last September.

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Brazil Nightclub Fire: More Than 240 Dead

Police say 245 people have died in a fire which swept through a crowded nightclub in southern Brazil.

Around 200 others were injured after the blaze broke out at the Kiss club in the city of Santa Maria while a band was performing.

Fire chief Guido de Melo said there was panic after the fire started and many revellers were trampled.

He said the main cause of death was asphyxiation.

Men try to break through a wall to help the victims

A security guard reportedly said the venue was at its maximum capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000, and partygoers were pushing and shoving to escape.

The blaze is reported to have begun at 2am (local time) and officials said the cause was not yet known.

It is believed that the building's soundproofing apparently caught fire and smoke from this then asphyxiated victims.

The fire took place in Santa Maria

The blaze spread quickly and produced a thick black smoke.

It is thought the venue only had one emergency exit and firefighters made a hole in the wall to help people escape.

The band reportedly used pyrotechnics as part of its show.

Members of the Red Cross pictured at the site

Civil Police and regional government spokesman Marcelo Arigoni told Radio Gaucha a truck carrying 70 bodies had arrived at the Municipal Sports Centre, which was being used as an improvised morgue.

Santa Maria is a major university city with a population of around a quarter of a million.

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Weather: Flood Warnings As Snow Thaws

There are fears of flooding in the UK as rain moves in and rising temperatures spark a rapid thaw of the snow and ice which built up in the past fortnight.

The Environment Agency has warned there is a risk of surface water and river flooding this weekend across England and Wales.

The agency has issued around 15 warnings, mostly in the South West, and about 80 less serious flood alerts, mainly in the south, the Midlands and Wales.

Warnings mean flooding is expected and immediate action is required, while alerts signify floods are possible.

A spokesman said: "Emergency teams from the Environment Agency will be out in force throughout the weekend to shore up defences, monitor river levels and clear blockages from watercourses."

The Met Office has also issued a severe weather warning about possible localised flooding in many parts of the country on Sunday, and the public should be aware of potential disruption to travel.

Forecasters are predicting up to 50mm of rain on Saturday over high ground.

And temperatures will steadily rise above freezing before reaching more than 10C in the south on Sunday.

Sky News Weather Presenter Isobel Lang said: "During today much of eastern England and eastern Scotland will be fine but rather chilly, with some good sunny spells. This evening and tonight it will turn wet and windy with snow thawing rapidly. It will be mild.

"Across Western Scotland, western England, the Midlands and Wales there will be a few showers but many places should be dry and sunny.

"Through the afternoon, cloud will increase from the west bringing outbreaks of rain by to most places by evening. Winds will strengthen too bringing in mild air overnight and leading to the rapid thaw of snow.

"Around 30 to 50mm (two inches) of rain is possible over high ground exposed to the strong southerly wind. Some local flooding is possible."

She added: "Sunday will see rain and strong, gusty winds clearing eastern Britain followed by sunshine but scattered blustery showers."

Forecasters are predicting a very wet spell through the latter part of Monday and through Tuesday.

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Weather: Snow Storm Brings M6 To Standstill

Hundreds of drivers spent up to eight hours trapped in their vehicles on the M6 in Lancashire after heavy snow brought the motorway to a standstill.

The motorway became blocked in both directions between junctions 25 and 27, near Wigan, on Friday night after vehicles became stuck in more than a foot of snow and some drivers abandoned their cars.

Many drivers were affected along the stretch between Wigan and Standish after struggling to make it up inclines in the treacherous conditions, while a number of accidents including jack-knifed lorries also blocked lanes.

Prime Minister David Cameroon tweeted: "Huge sympathy for those affected by heavy #uksnow. Govt working closely with transport operators to minimise impact on everyone."

Mountain rescue teams were brought in to help police and the Highways Agency clear roads and assist those who were stranded.

One man had to be taken to hospital after becoming ill in his car while it was stuck.

And some of the stranded drivers passed the time with snowball fights and building snowmen.

The M6 gridlock. Pic Kevin Collister

The M6, as well as the M56 and M58 which were also blocked, are now all moving again but remain heavily congested with long tailbacks, Lancashire Police said.

Motorists contacted Sky News overnight to share their tales of woe.

Kevin Collister, stuck on the motorway just past the M58 junction heading northbound, said: "There is absolutely no movement whatsoever on my side of the carriageway, all the snow is squashed down into ice and there are wagons trying to move and sliding sideways.

"It's an absolute nightmare, we've been here for three hours so far. A few people are saying we might be here for the night but we're just hoping we can get through."

Conservative MP David Morris, stuck on the southbound carriageway, said: "We've ground to a halt on both sides. Nothing is really moving.

"But the emergency services have been fantastic and are doing the best for us, and everyone is in good spirits.

Some M6 motorists made the most of the snow. Pic Ashley Pinches

"I've just seen a snowball fight and the man next door to me has built a snowman on top of his car roof ... it's very surreal."

Barry Pinches, on his way to Blackpool, told Sky News: "At one stage we didn't think we would make it but it looks like things are moving slowly now. We saw some snow ploughs on the southbound carriageway but there doesn't seem to be too many of them - they have their work cut out."

Pete Martin, from the Highways Agency, confirmed to Sky News that the carriageways had been gritted before the snow came down.

"We had an extremely intense fall of snow across Lancashire between 8.30pm and midnight and basically there wasn't enough traffic to keep the lanes moving," he said.

The M6 was blocked both ways in Lancashire

"A number of HGVs lost traction between junctions 25 and 27 and once they blocked the carriageway the snow stacked up and the result was a number of stranded vehicles."

The agency worked throughout the night to clear the routes with snow ploughs. It is urging those who had abandoned their cars to return to them as soon as possible.

A spokesman said: "With the rain falling and ice melting onto very cold road surfaces, we are now warning drivers of the danger of ice."

Hazardous driving conditions led to collisions and delays on many routes across the north of England, including the M18, M60, M65, M56 and M58.

Meanwhile, all flights were suspended at Leeds Bradford International Airport during the morning as a fresh blanket of snow covered most of the Yorkshire region.

North Yorkshire Fire Service said a couple had to be rescued from a snow drift on the North York Moors last night.

North Yorkshire Police said some main roads were blocked by snow and abandoned vehicles including the A59 between Harrogate and Skipton and the B6265 at Rylstone.

Weather experts have warned of the risk of flooding this weekend, as heavy rain moves in and rising temperatures spark a rapid thaw of the built-up snow and ice.

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