People warned to be prepared as forecasters predict heavy snowfalls

The Met Office has issued heavy snow warnings for Norfolk across the weekend and into the beginning of next week.

On Saturday and Sunday they are warning of snow showers, possibly 2-5cm are expected for some parts.

On Tuesday there is also the possibility of blizzards as rain turns to snow. They say at present, the conditions seem likely to continue into Wednesday at the earliest.

Joe Osborne, from Norwich-based Weatherquest, said though, that although there was going to be a widespread frost which meant icy roads, they were not expecting significant accumulations of snow as the ground is quite warm at this time of year.

Joe Ferrari, from Norwich City Football Club's press office, said they did not believe the weather would impact on the derby game being played this Sunday at Carrow Road.

He said: 'We have under-floor heating here at Carrow Road which is a big plus in our favour, and at this stage it is all going ahead.'

Some local matches have however been cancelled, for full details visit www.pinkun.com.

Yesterday it was the middle of the county which suffered the heaviest snow and up to four inches fell overnight around Dereham and Fakenham, as a result there were a number of accidents around the area, including an overturned lorry on the A47 next to Roys in Dereham.

Dereham Market was also badly hit by the weather and there were only about five stalls compared with the usual 20-25.

In the afternoon, parts of Dereham were brought to a standstill as heavy snow returned and drivers took half an hour to travel less than a mile around school picking up time in Toftwood and Dereham town centre.

There were also very bad delays near the Tesco store in Yaxham Road, and vehicles were travelling at about 10mph on the A47.

A Norfolk County Council spokesman said gritters had been sent out throughout last night and the early hours of this morning and the council would also be monitoring the weather throughout the weekend.

Norwich City Council said they too would be keeping watch on the weather over the weekend and acting accordingly.

A spokesman for Norfolk police said they had not seen a particular increase in the number of accidents on Friday and that it had been 'business as usual' during the day.

From midday through to 4pm, they had recorded 28 damage-only road traffic accidents, and eight accidents in which people were injured, although the spokesman stressed, not all the incidents could be attributed to the weather conditions.

With the prospect of more snow and wintry conditions on the way, officers and motoring organisations are urging drivers to take care as they venture out on the local roads.

First Eastern Counties have updates on their website, www.firstgroup.com, which detail any disruption to services, under the 'bad weather updates' heading, and a spokeswoman for National Express East Anglia said they were not anticipating too many problems to be caused by the snow, but the best way to check on any changes to their services was via the website, www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com or by calling National Rail Enquires on 08457 48 49 50.