The ski resort, which has enjoyed an exceptionally busy season, had an inch (2cm) of snowfall on Saturday night.

Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders have enjoyed snow on CairnGorm Mountain over the bank holiday weekend.

The ski resort, which has enjoyed an exceptionally busy season, had an inch (2cm) of snowfall on Saturday night.

A spokeswoman for CairnGorm Mountain said the winter sports facilities would stay open for weekends in May if demand remained high.

Tania Alliod, marketing manager, said the snow was still 9ft (3m) in places and could last into June.

“As long as there is demand – at least 300 skiers and snowboarders each day – we will continue to offer skiing each weekend in May,” she said.

Scotland’s other ski resorts have already closed. Although there is still snow on Ben Nevis, demand fell in April.

Ms Alliod said staff at the CairnGorm centre were now working hard to accommodate both winter and summer activities following a “Scandinavian winter”.

The first wedding of the year was held at the Day Lodge on Saturday, followed by a reception for 75 guests at the Ptarmigan Restaurant.

Ms Alliod said some investment projects on the mountain were being considered, but she added: “All of [the Scottish ski centres] are reeling from the worst skiing season on record three years ago, so we are going to keep our feet on the ground because we don’t know what next year holds.”

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An eyewitness said the coach had ended up in a burn

A 14-year-old girl died when a coach taking school pupils on a trip to a theme park crashed in South Lanarkshire, police have said.

The coach overturned in “horrendous” weather conditions on a bridge on the A73 at Wiston, south-west of Biggar shortly before 0600 BST.

The coach was taking 39 Lanark Grammar School pupils and five members of staff to Alton Towers.

Three other people were seriously injured in the crash.

The teenage girl and one other person were airlifted to hospital in Glasgow and two were taken to Wishaw General Hospital.

A spokesman from RAF Kinloss said they scrambled the Royal Navy Sea King from Prestwick just before 0610 BST.

A Royal Navy helicopter airlifted the injured to hospital

He added one person with “heart problems” and another with leg and chest injuries were taken to the Southern General Hospital.

Eight others were described as “walking wounded” and were treated at the scene by Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and the ambulance service.

A police spokesman said weather conditions in the area were “horrendous”.

No other vehicles are believed to have been involved in the collision.

Eyewitness Bill Ward, of Wiston, said the coach had turned on to its side and was in a burn.

‘Atrocious’ conditions

“I believe most of the people affected have been taken to a nearby town hall where they are being looked after. I can’t see any evidence of people still here,” he said.

“The conditions here are absolutely atrocious and the roads are very, very slippy.”

Ambulances, fire engines and a rescue helicopter had attended the scene, he added.

Strathclyde Police asked parents of the pupils involved in the crash to go to Lanark Grammar School for further help, not the scene of the accident.

First Minister Alex Salmond said the crash was “almost certainly weather related”.

He added: “Our thoughts are very much with the parents and relatives and staff members caught up in this incident.”

The local MP Jim Hood described the accident as “shocking and terrible”.

He said: “My thoughts and prayers are with the staff and pupils involved and their families. What was supposed to be an enjoyable trip to Alton Towers has ended in horrific circumstances.”

Mr Hood praised the emergency services staff who responded to the accident in difficult weather conditions.

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Heavy snow is affecting most parts of the country

Strong winds and heavy snow are causing blizzard conditions across large parts of Scotland.

The Met Office warned persistent snow would quickly drift in the strong to gale force wind, with severely reduced visibility in upland areas.

The public were advised to take extra care as some roads became impassable.

Further interruptions to power supplies were forecast. In total 22,000 homes lost power on Tuesday and 250 spent the night without electricity.

Large tailbacks

Police warned people in the Lothian and Borders area to travel only if necessary as motorists became stuck in snowdrifts and floods.

Two lorries got into difficulty on the M8 at junction 3 creating large tailbacks during the evening.

Train services on the East Coast main line were suspended north of Berwick after two landslips at about 1740 GMT.

Network Rail said there were landslips on the northbound and southbound tracks close to the town of Grantshouse in the Scottish Borders.

The men escape from the car without injury

In Edinburgh city centre, two men escaped after a 50ft tree fell on a car in heavy winds.

Fire and ambulance crews attended the incident in Cranston Street at about 1830 GMT.

The men were treated for shock but were uninjured, police said.

The Met Office warned of drifting snow, in some areas up to 50cm (20in).

It also said: “Many roads are liable to become impassable and some interruptions to power supplies are possible.”

On Tuesday, about 22,000 homes lost power during the day.

Most had power restored by early evening but Scottish Power warned it would not be able to reconnect about 150 homes in North Ayrshire until Wednesday.

Scottish Hydro Electric said about 100 customers in the north east, Tayside and Argyll were without power overnight.

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The Scottish Borders has already witnessed heavy snow

Some 300 people have been rescued from vehicles including a school bus after they became stuck in snow near Londonderry, police have said.

The rescue focused on 120 vehicles trapped on the Glenshane Pass.

It came as heavy snow and winds are causing widespread disruption to some parts of the UK, with 48,000 homes left without power in Northern Ireland.

The Met Office has issued extreme weather warnings for both Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Forecasters predict heavy snowfall and severe blizzards through the morning.

Snow could also affect high parts of England and Wales, the Met Office said.

Treacherous conditions

BBC weather forecaster Laura Tobin said Scotland was likely to see the worst of the weather during the morning.

“North-east Scotland will see persistent heavy snow and gales,” she said.

She added that although snow was forecast to move away from Northern Ireland, freezing temperatures would make driving conditions treacherous.

Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and the Welsh mountains are also likely to experience snowfall during the day.

Snow caused hazardous conditions for motorists

Ch Insp Steven Cargin, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said the Glenshane Pass rescue operation had involved police, mountain rescue and coastguard workers.

Motorists were taken to Dungiven Leisure Centre, in Derry, only for a power failure to strike, forcing them to relocate to nearby Limavady and Maghera.

Police said no-one had been injured in the operation, although nine people had refused to leave their vehicles.

Northern Ireland Electricity said late on Tuesday that widespread damage had been caused by the weather, especially in Omagh, Enniskillen, Dungannon, Londonderry, Coleraine and Ballymena.

Problems were caused by snow and ice sticking to power lines which were then being blown over, causing 250 individual faults.

Police said driving conditions across Northern Ireland were “treacherous” and advised motorists to slow down.

Flood warnings

Scottish Power said electricity had been cut to about 22,000 homes in Scotland at one point on Tuesday.

At least 5,000 homes were without power on Wednesday morning and engineers hoped to have them reconnected later in the day.

Scottish Hydro Electric said about 100 customers in the north east, Tayside and Argyll were without power.

Snow was disrupting travel across the Grampian region with the A96 closed between Huntly and Colpy while motorists were warned to avoid the A90 between Stonehaven and Laurencekirk.

Vehicles were stuck in various places in Aberdeenshire overnight. In the Highlands, the A9 was closed at Drumochter.

Some roads were difficult or impassable in the borders and in central Edinburgh two men had a lucky escape after a tree fell on their car.

Train services were suspended on the East Coast main line north of Berwick after two landslips on Tuesday evening.

Network Rail said it was working to reopen the line but, in the meantime, services would be diverted via Newcastle and Carlisle, with replacement buses in service.

The Met Office said conditions would worsen in parts of the Highlands and an area stretching from the north-east down through central Scotland and into Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders on Tuesday evening, with heavy snow falling through the night.

Strong to gale force winds are also expected to lead to widespread blizzard conditions in the west.

Meanwhile, police in Northumberland urged motorists to be careful on the roads because of poor visibility and heavy rainfall.

Flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency included Waren Burn at Waren Mill and Wansbeck at Morpeth.

There were also warnings along the north-east coast of England.

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Snow caused hazardous conditions for motorists

About 20,000 homes in Northern Ireland are without power due to bad weather.

Northern Ireland Electricity said there was widespread damage, especially in Omagh, Enniskillen, Dungannon, Londonderry, Coleraine and Ballymena.

Roads have also been affected, with the Glenshane Pass closed for snow ploughing.

A number of flights from Belfast International Airport on Tuesday evening were cancelled and further disruption is expected on Wednesday.

The flights affected were Easyjet departures to London Stansted, Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow.

The 2210 BST Easyjet plane from London Stansted has also been cancelled, with a number of other planes diverted to other airports.

‘Treacherous conditions’

Winds have brought down electricity lines and poles and caused 250 individual faults.

The Met office is predicting heavy rain and snow with biting gales.

The police have said driving conditions across Northern Ireland are “treacherous” and have advised motorists to slow down.

The Glenshane Pass is said to be “particularly difficult”. Snow ploughs and gritters are working to clear the road.

Ulsterbus have said services from Londonderry bound for Belfast will only travel as far as Dungiven.

An NIE spokesperson said its engineers were working on faults as quickly as it was “safe to do so” and that an additional 250 staff have been called in.

“We have invested heavily in our service and our systems have been thoroughly tested,” he continued.

“However, a rural network, like Northern Ireland’s is still vulnerable to severe weather like we are experiencing this evening.”

Weather warning

Meanwhile, a tree has fallen on the Belfast to Bangor train line, close to Marino station. Passengers are being transported by bus.

The Roads Service is working to keep roads open

Earlier, conditions were said to be particularly bad between Coleraine and Maghera.

There were also reports of heavy snow between Omagh and Dromore.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning and has said heavy rain could cause flooding in many areas.

The Strangford Road in Downpatrick has also been closed between Quoile Bridge and Saul Mills Road because of a land slide.

All P&O Express sailings between Larne and Cairnryan have been cancelled due to the weather, however, passengers will be transferred to conventional ferry sailings.

Stena sailings between Belfast and Stranraer have also been cancelled.

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Scottish Power said electricity supplies to about 22,000 homes had been cut during the day.

Blizzard warnings have been issued for large parts of Scotland after severe weather caused major disruption.

Scottish Power said electricity supplies to about 22,000 homes had been cut during the day.

About 20,000 homes had been reconnected by Tuesday afternoon, and it was hoped to restore power to the remaining 2,000 by the end of the day.

The Met Office has warned of heavy snow in the Highlands, central, eastern and southern Scotland on Tuesday evening.

It said conditions would worsen in parts of the Highlands and an area stretching from the north east down through central Scotland and into Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders on Tuesday evening, with heavy snow falling through the night.

The Met Office warned of drifting snow and blizzards in some areas and said: “Many roads are liable to become impassable and some interruptions to power supplies are possible.”

The River Esk burst its banks in the middle of Musselburgh

The north of Scotland was worst affected on Monday night, with temperatures plunging to -5C at Cairnwell, near Braemar.

Ten lorries were stranded for several hours on the M90 close to Bridge of Earn in Perthshire after becoming stuck in about 7.5cm (3in) of snow.

Snow ploughs and gritters were called to the scene at 0245 BST, and traffic was moving again within a few hours.

Snow fell in many parts of the country and heavy rain led to the River Esk bursting its banks in Musselburgh.

No homes were flooded or evacuated but East Lothian Council advised residents along Eskview to move valuables to places of safety.

Supplying sandbags

The council has been supplying sandbags to dozens of homes along that stretch of the river.

Lanes were restricted at the Skye and Erskine bridges because of high winds, while the Tay bridge was only open to cars.

Grampian Police said there was heavy surface water in Aberdeen city centre. Snow was causing problems further inland, especially on higher routes, and several roads were only passable with care.

Some drivers were forced to dig their cars out from 1ft of snow close to Denny in Stirlingshire.

Scottish Power said about 7,000 homes in North Ayrshire lost power, although that had been reduced to about up to 1,000 on Tuesday afternoon.

Flood watches

Properties were affected in the Largs, Fairlie and Saltcoats area due to a combination of ice on the power lines and high winds.

Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, which had been forecast to be badly hit, appeared to escape the worst of the weather on Tuesday morning.

However, flood watches were in place on most rivers in the regions as heavy rain continued to fall.

Forecasters have warned the cold snap is set to continue for the next two days, but temperatures will rise slightly by Thursday, when snow will retreat to higher ground.

Motorists have been urged to take extra care, and to refer to the Traffic Scotland website before setting off.

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