Two buses full of school children have crashed on icy roads as a deep freeze continues to grip the UK ahead of more heavy snowfall expected from Storm Goretti.
The Met Office had warned there would be an “icy start” to Wednesday with yellow weather warnings in force across much of the UK, and it has issued more urgent warnings for Thursday.
In Berkshire, emergency services were called to the A3290 exit slip road, near the Sutton Seeds roundabout in Earley, Wokingham, in the morning after a road traffic collision involving a Reading bus and a school coach.
According to the South Central Ambulance Service, nine children, the driver of the coach, and eight adults from the bus all suffered minor injuries.
Two patients, one of whom is a school child, have since been taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital for further treatment.
A spokesperson for the service said a member of their team reported that the road conditions were “very icy” at the scene.
Meanwhile, Kent Police were called to Chilmington Green, Ashford, soon after 8am after a school bus left the road and ended up in a ditch.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service said the bus was believed to have “slipped” off the road due to black ice.
In a statement, police said that there are “no reported injuries”.
While temperatures are expected to be slightly warmer on Wednesday, with dry weather and sunny spells, it remains cold with icy surfaces.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said there are “a lot of slippery conditions out there”, which is “worth factoring in if you’re about to head out the door”.
Sleet and snow showers are expected across northern Scotland, and the Met Office said thicker cloud with rain is expected to arrive across Northern Ireland, south-west Wales and south-west England later in the day.
The north and east will see frost overnight, with some “freezing fog patches”, and rain is expected in the west with some snow in the north, according to the forecasters.
Thursday will see a cloudy and cold start to the day with wintry weather as Storm Goretti, named by Meteo France, comes in from the south west.
Mr Burkill said: “Storm Goretti is on its way, arriving later tomorrow and affecting us through tomorrow and into Friday, bringing some strong winds and some significant snow to central and perhaps southern parts.”
The meteorologist said the storm will bring “wet, windy and wintry weather” to parts of the UK.
“As that rain pushes its way and it hits against that cold air that we currently have across us… and so on the northern edge, we are likely to see some fairly significant snow as we go through later tomorrow and into Friday,” he added.
Mr Burkill said exactly how far north this travels is “all to play for”, adding: “Exactly where we see that significant snow, that’s still a little bit uncertain, but the risk is there.”
A yellow snow warning has been issued for a large part of England and much of Wales, and will be in place from 6pm on Thursday until midday on Friday.
⚠️⚠️ Amber weather warning issued ⚠️⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 7, 2026
Snow across parts of England and Wales
Thursday 2000 – Friday 0900
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/E5uNBZR6wY
The Met Office said this might lead to heavy snow which will cause disruption and difficult travelling conditions.
Mr Burkill said 20cm or more of snow could settle, adding that is “enough to cause some severe disruption”.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heavy snow from Thursday evening into Friday, covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire.
The snowfall, brought by Storm Goretti, will mean trains and planes could be delayed or cancelled, rural communities may be cut off, and power cuts or disruption to mobile signal are likely, forecasters said.
The warning stretches from Sheffield in the north, down to Leicester, across much of the West Midlands and into Wales.
It comes into force at 8pm on Thursday and ends at 9am on Friday.
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