FREEZING weather put the pressure on hospitals in Worcestershire - but respite is on the way as temperatures warm up.

As weather experts predict the big freeze is ending, the clear-up operation continues after hazardous conditions hit pedestrians and drivers.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital said it dealt with more falls than normal after temperatures dropped for a second time last night.

"During the day, A&E had the sort of increase in slips and trips that you would expect," said spokeswoman Janet-Marie Clark.

"But last evening there was a noticeable increase in admissions after ice had melted and refrozen."

Drivers were also affected by the weather, with the RAC reporting they were twice as busy in Worcestershire over Wednesday and Thursday, dealing with around 150 call-outs.

"There were a lot of people driving too fast and as soon as they hit the black ice they just hit the next car," said spokeswoman Tamsin Johnston.

But train commuters enjoyed a trouble-free day according to Central Trains, with a "near-normal" timetable in operation.

"We had a very good day, with big efforts from staff working through the night," a spokesman for the company, which operates throughout the county, said. "We consider it a great success."

Meanwhile, thousands of children were back in their classrooms today as 60 schools, which shut yesterday as teachers and parents struggled to make their normal journeys, opened this morning.

But now the snow has gone, weather watchers are preparing for wet and windy conditions over the coming week.

"There's a thaw from today onwards. It will take a while to climb but temperatures should reach double figures by the weekend," said Evening News weatherman Paul Damari.

"We shouldn't see anything like this in the next five or seven days but the wet and wind will be replacing all the snow and ice."