HUNDREDS of schools that are still open for keyworkers have been forced to shut as Storm Darcy has "cut off towns".
Thousands of key workers faced a second day of chaos as schools stayed shut and they were warned it could last all week.
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Britain is set for another 10 inches of snow today as temperatures drop to -18C.
Keyworker parents will be left to stay home as their kids cannot get to school as towns could become “cut off” as Storm Darcy wreaks havoc across the UK.
And under current lockdown rules, keyworker parents cannot have grandparents or friends watch their children while they go to work.
In Norfolk, one of the worst areas hit by Darcy, 373 of the county’s 422 schools were closed as of 7.55am today, with the numbers still rising.
The county council is urging key worker families to make"alternative arrangements", saying the snow-covered roads are too dangerous to expect children and teachers to turn up.
The crisis also hits children classed as vulnerable, who would have gone in for lessons as they have been told to stay at home too.
It will be the same situation in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Essex and Kent which have also been badly hit by Storm Darcy.
In Suffolk, 200 schools have closed today and in Essex at least 40 have shut.
Several Covid-19 vaccination centres were forced to close, including Clacton Hospital, Colchester United's stadium, Gainsborough Sports Centre in Ipswich and Chevington Close in Bury St Edmunds.
Storm Darcy – dubbed the 'Beast from the East II' – has brought howling blizzards from Russia to the UK, with swathes of the country experiencing heavy snowfall yesterday.
A yellow weather warning for snow remains in place across Britain until midnight on Wednesday, with the Met Office warning “frequent snow showers may lead to travel disruption in places”.
The alert covers most of the south east of England, as well as the Midlands, the North East and most of Scotland.
Meanwhile, a separate amber warning covers central parts of Scotland today, with up to 10 inches of snow forecast.
And temperatures are expected to plummet below 0C for most of the UK overnight.
Parts of Scotland reached as low as nearly -18C on Monday night as the country caught the brunt of the storm.
Bus and rail travel has been disrupted with an amber weather warning in place for much of the central belt until 9pm.
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