Britain prepares for coldest winter in 100 years

Temperatures in rural areas will fall as low as -5°c tonight, followed by hail and snowfall on higher ground, the Met Office has warned. It is feared the flood water that still covers many roads, will also now freeze proving "treacherous" to motorists and pedestrians.

Snow is expected in some parts of the UK by Friday and could cause chaos on rail networks only days after many routes were subject to delays and cancellations due to flooding.

Experts have warned of treacherous conditions on the roads and damage costing hundreds of millions of pounds.

The forthcoming cold snap, caused by clear skies and northerly winds, could herald the start of a freezing winter. There are reports that temperatures could fall as low as -20°c in some areas in December and January.

Local authorities said they are ready for a harsh winter and have made ensured there are sufficient gritters and snowploughs to avoid a repeat of two years ago when heavy snowfall caused large swathes of the country to grind to a halt.

The Local Government Association said councils had stockpiled 1.3 million tons of road salt and had "hundreds" of gritters on hand should they be needed.

Experts are also concerned that road surfaces could crumble as water trickles into cracks and freezes, leaving councils with a major pothole repair bill. Flood water in North Wales and the south West of England is retreating, but rivers continue to rise in North Yorkshire and around the Thames.

The Environment Agency has said swollen rivers are still at risk of flooding over the next few days and warned it could take much longer for floodwaters to subside, as teams work around the clock to shore up defences and clear blockages from watercourses, it added.

More than 1,100 homes have been damaged, with thousands of cars swept away.

The AA has estimated insurance claims for written-off vehicles could total £14 million. The Association of Business Insurers said the cost of house insurance could run into the "low hundreds of millions".

A spokesman said: "Knock-on costs including lost working hours, lost business and transport disruption can total more than insured costs."

Yesterday, nearly 300 flood warnings and alerts remained in place. Gritters are now in place to combat ice on the roads.

In St Asaph, North Wales, a pensioner who died during the flooding was named as Margaret Hughes, who was due to celebrate her 92nd birthday today.Telegraph