Photo: Jean Duke

After four days of the earliest ‘big freeze’ in recent history warnings are being issued about icy roads and floods.

As temperature are set to rise above freezing this weekend the ‘big thaw’ is expected to result in many flooded homes across the four boroughs.

John Griggs, Principal Technical Officer at The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering warns: “The effects of previously hidden cracks in pipes caused by water that expanded into ice during the low temperatures can lead to burst pipes and leaks which can devastate property and possessions.”

The met office has issued a severe warning about ice on the roads, and drivers are advised to proceed with caution as “black ice” is not visible from a distance.

Schools, transport and other public services across the four boroughs have slowly been returning to normal as temperatures across London have risen above zero.

The weather continued to cause major transport problems throughout most of Friday. The Overground and bus routes through several of the boroughs were disrupted or curtailed for much of the day. Council services also took another hit, with schools, leisure centres and libraries all closed or running a reduced service.

Services have begun to return to normal and places such as leisure centres and libraries are expected to be operating fully over the weekend.

The East London line is still affected by the weather and there is a special service between Dalston Junction and West Croydon. Eight trains an hour are running from Dalston Junction with four trains to New Cross and four to New Cross Gate, two of which continue to West Croydon. No services are running to Crystal Palace. The line is also suspended between Sydenham and Crystal Palace.

Southeastern Rail is preparing to run a normal service over the weekend but severe delays should be expected.

See: Disruption in south and east London begins to ease as temperatures start to rise this weekend