Kate ScotterThe Arctic weather is expected to tighten its grip on the East today as a band of wintry showers moves across the country.Kate Scotter

The Arctic weather is expected to tighten its grip on the East today as a band of wintry showers moves across the country.

Just a sprinkling of snow fell on Norwich yesterday with more expected today but elsewhere in the county there were heavy snow showers and freezing fog overnight with temperatures reaching -10 at Marham.

Temperatures in the city were expected to remain at freezing today - leading to fresh warnings about wrapping up warm if you venture out and taking care when driving.

The weather could throw the transport network into chaos, with National Express East Anglia warning of a revised timetable - with the 6.25am and 6.55am services from London to Norwich cancelled this morning.

But Norfolk is expected to escape the worst, with extreme snowfall forecast for Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire.

John Law, forecaster for the University of East Anglia's Weatherquest, said: 'It is not nearly as bad for us as in other areas. It is going to be cloudy today with some snow showers moving in from the north and the west which will leave a covering in many places. There is also more on the way overnight and tomorrow.

'We had a report of -10 at Marham which was the coldest place in Norfolk but it is more likely to be -2 or -3 tonight which will lead to a crust of ice which could cause problems for drivers.'

Fourteen schools, including Costessey Infant School, closed yesterday, mainly due to heating problems with eight closed today including Colman Infant School.

Despite a lack of snow, temperatures in and around Norwich stayed close to freezing yesterday, causing hazardous conditions for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

Although Norfolk police said there were no problems overnight, a 4x4 on its way into the city skidded off Newmarket Road at the junction with Lime Tree Road yesterday lunchtime and crashed into the central reservation.

Elsewhere, Bard Hill in Salthouse was blocked near the entrance to the Dun Cow pub for much of the morning, after a crash involving a lorry and two cars. A council gritting team was called out to 'intensively treat' the road.

Norwich-based breakdown recovery firm RAC dealt with more than 7,500 call outs across the country yesterday. The company, which is part of Aviva, was getting between 1,300 and 2,500 calls an hour.

Meanwhile, Norfolk County Council was preparing itself for more icy conditions and a ship carrying 1,600 tonnes of grit and salt to treat Norfolk's roads was being unloaded at King's Lynn yesterday.

Gritters once again took to the roads in the evening and were on standby overnight while a watchful eye was kept on the weather conditions.

A County Hall spokesman said: 'It's all a bit uncertain. We were able to get into the town centres and grit some of the pavements more than what we expected yesterday as there was less snow than expected. These things change by the hour and it looks like there may be more snow showers moving from the west to the east.'

Manchester Airport was closed temporarily yesterday, affecting flights from Norwich. Flights from Luton, Gatwick and Birmingham airports were also affected by the weather.

Forecasters have predicted that this will be one of the coldest winters for a century and bookmaker Paddy Power has cut the odds on this being the coldest January on record from 5/1 to 7/4.

Have you been affected by the weather? Call reporter Kate Scotter on 01603 772326 or email kate.scotter@archant.co.uk

If you have got pictures of the snow, send your photos into newsdesk@archant.co.uk. The best photographs will be published in the paper and online.