(Updated 10th Jan) - AN EMERGENCY delivery of de-icing salt has been diverted to South Yorkshire - as fears of heavy snow turned to sleet and rain during the evening.

Heavy snow was forecast earlier, which would mean continued misery to schools, businesses and motorists.

But as grit supplies dwindle throughout big-freeze Britain there was good news for Sheffield, as one firm announced it was diverting a delivery from Germany.
Chemicals firm Ineos said councils including Sheffield, East Yorkshire, Pembrokeshire, Gloucester, Bradford and Fife were to be supplied with the 12,000 tonnes of de-icing salt. Sheffield was due to receive almost 40 truck loads over the weekend..

All South Yorkshire bus services were running on Sunday with delays in places. But drivers continued to stay to main roads and away from side streets.
Woodhead Pass was closed in both directions after snow drifting.
Forecasters warned up to 20cm of snow could settle in many parts of the country during the night and on Monday, heralding a fresh round of travel disruption as the nation battles to get back to work, with schools and shops determined to open.
The Met Office issued a severe weather warning for Yorkshire and Humber, north-east England, the East Midlands and Wales. 

There were also predictions that the rest of England is likely to see more falls of up to 10cm today.

But South Yorkshire can expect a mixture of mainly light snow showers and sleet, followed by dry but cloudy cold spells, set to continue through Monday.
Easterly winds will see temperatures stay bitterly cold and struggle to get much above freezing.

Clare Allen of MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said of Sunday: "There will be a north-east wind again which will make it feel colder, but much of northern England and Scotland will be dry and clear."

National Grid lifted its latest gas supply alert - its third such warning in a week - after more supplies came in from the market.  (Source thestar.co.uk)