THE cold snap which has brought Arctic conditions to East Anglia has started to loosen its grip, with milder weather on the way.

THE cold snap which has brought Arctic conditions to East Anglia has started to loosen its grip, with milder weather on the way.

Residents in Suffolk and Essex woke up to wintry scenes today following heavy snowfall.

Snow blanketed much of north and east Suffolk overnight on Saturday and then started to fall heavily in the south of the county this morning.

Suffolk police said there were about 30 minor road accidents from 7am into late afternoon.

One person was injured in a three-vehicle collision on the A137 between Wherstead and Tattingstone, near Ipswich, at around 10am. The road was closed while emergency services dealt with the clear-up.

At around the same time, police and paramedics were called to a prang between two vehicles on the B1115 at Bildeston, near Hadleigh.

Three people were hurt in the collision, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Meanwhile, police had to clear debris from the A14 central interchange near Bury St Edmunds after a car spun in the road, causing delays.

A car also lost control on the Orwell Bridge near Ipswich.

In north Essex police blamed the bad weather for four accidents this morning.

One lane of the A12 was closed on the Colchester bypass when three vehicles collided. Two people suffered minor injuries in the crash, which happened at around 10am.

Speaking about the conditions, Suffolk police's Lisa Brown said: “It was quite icy and we were getting quite heavy snowfall across the county but as the day went on it turned to rain and it was not as bad. There were not many accidents after about 4pm.”

Jim Bacon, meteorologist at Weatherquest, said most places saw snowfall of 2cm to 3cm, up to 5cm in some locations.

“A lot of the snow fell on Saturday evening and it became very cold so first thing we started off with snow on the roads which gave a wintery look to things and took time to improve throughout Sunday.”

Mr Bacon said possible rain showers on Sunday night and Monday morning would lead to a thawing of snow in places where it fell heaviest.

He added there could be isolated snowfall on Monday evening but said the weather would become milder towards the middle of the week.

Police advise motorists to drive accordingly with the road conditions and make sure windows are properly defrosted.

Meanwhile, William Hill bookmakers has slashed the odds of a white Christmas in London from 8/1 to 6/1.