Food shelves empty and petrol running out as icy roads make deliveries impossible

... but the weekend will be slightly WARMER (although it won't last)

By Sara Nelson
Last updated at 5:30 PM on 3rd December 2010

• Two pensioners die after collapsing in their gardens
  
• Milder temperatures expected tomorrow but falling again on Sunday
  
• Short-haul flights from Gatwick cancelled until 5pm
  
• Petrol forecourts run dry as deliveries are held up
  
• Rail networks cancel services for the third day running

Petrol forecourts were today running dry and food stores were struggling to replenish their shelves as icy conditions halted deliveries.

‘Critical’ shortages of petrol have been reported by the RMI Petrol Retailers Association, with remote areas being particularly badly affected.

Some fuel stations have also been accused of ‘cashing in’ on the crisis by increasing their prices – with one garage in Surrey putting up the cost of diesel per litre from £1.24 to £1.28 within the past four days.

Run dry: This 'No fuel' sign was stuck on top of a traffic cone at a garage near Almondbank in Perthshire today

Railway tracks lie buried under a foot of snow at Buxted Station, Uckfield

WEEKEND WEATHER FORECAST

SATURDAY

Some rain and hill snow across England and Wales with snow showers further north.

Daytime lows of -3C in Norwich and Perth, highs of 7C in Newquay

Nighttime lows of -7C in Tayside and Fife and highs of 8C in Dover

SUNDAY

Many areas dry and bright with snow showers continuing further north. Very cold, frosty and icy.

Daytime lows of -5 in Perth, highs of 8C in Newquay

Nighttime lows of -8C in Tayside and Fife, with highs of 1C in Wick

The news came as snowfalls eased but temperatures plummeted even further, dropping -20.1C in Scotland and -7C in London and Birmingham overnight.

There is due to be some respite from the freezing conditions over the weekend.

Temperatures are set to plunge overnight, to a low of minus 7C in Scotland, but tomorrow will see a milder start with highs of between 5C and 8C expected in southern England and 4C in the Midlands and East Anglia.

It will feel colder again on Sunday as daytime temperatures dip slightly again to 2C to 5C in the south and 0C to 4C in northern England and Scotland.

The freezing temperatures make the country colder than Antarctica where the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula recorded a temperature of 0C.

Fears have also emerged today that the chaos to the transport network could mean thousands of children might not get their toys in time for Christmas.

Thousands of tonnes of toys, games and clothes ordered on the internet and due to be delivered from the Far East are being held in shipping containers as ports into Britain struggles with a backlog.