LIFE across the city and beyond is starting to return to normal following the disruption caused by Sunday's heavy snowfall.

All of Worcester's schools, and those across south Worcestershire, were able to open their doors yesterday, although in some cases with alterations to timetables and curtailment of after-school activities.

Train services, which were heavily disrupted on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, had largely returned to normal yesterday.

Main roads were largely cleared but smaller routes out in the countryside were still iced up, causing police and highway authorities to renew warnings for drivers to take care.

The Met Office is predicting sunny spells and scattered showers for today, but it will remain cold, with patchy ice where lying snow still remains

The highways agency kept roadside grit bins filled, but there was a report of people taking advantage.

Police superintendent Kevin Purcell tweeted: "We are aware of 'gang' going around emptying grit bins soon after they are filled up. It’s a crime of theft, unmarked patrols on the case."

And rubbish collections in Worcester had to be cancelled after the lorries were initially sent out yesterday morning.

Worcester City Council said that because staff were falling over and the lorries struggling to make progress down smaller roads because of ice, it made the decision to prevent injuries to staff.

A council spokesman said: "The message from us is that we expect collections to happen tomorrow, so people should put their bins out as normal and they will be collected eventually."

Residents should put their bin out on the normal day and leave it there until it is emptied. The city council will run a Saturday morning service if required.

Meanwhile, health service bosses had high praise for staff who kept Worcestershire Royal Hospital and others going during the bad weather.

Michelle McKay and Caragh Merrick, chief executive and chairman of the health trust, said: "We would like to put on record our thanks to our dedicated staff who have helped keep our hospital services running effectively through an extremely challenging few days.

"There are so many examples of clinical and non-clinical colleagues and community staff going above and beyond – making extremely difficult journeys through the snow to get to work, coming in despite not being on duty, staying on well past the end of their shifts and in some cases sleeping in the hospital – all to make sure our patients received the care they needed.

"Former members of staff, volunteers and our local communities also rallied to offer their assistance – for example, helping to get staff to and from work."