Devon's main roads cleared after heavy snowfall

Conditions are returning to normal after hundreds of rush-hour motorists were stuck for hours in blizzards in east Devon on Tuesday evening.

The jam on the A380 and the A38, on Haldon Hill and Telegraph Hill, near Exeter, left some motorists stranded for eight hours.

A number of temporary rest centres, including one at Exeter Racecourse, were set up for stranded drivers.

Hundreds of motorists were stranded in the same place by snow in 2009.

Gritters struggled to get through the traffic with progress made worse by a broken down vehicle. Traffic started flowing again at 2245 GMT.

Insp Mark Taylor of Devon and Cornwall Police told BBC News: "Haldon Hill has successfully beaten us again."

Peter Heron from the Highways Agency said: "It looks horrendous and we sincerely apologise to people who were stuck, but we did our best."

The snow on Tuesday also affected air travel and led to a number of flights in and out of Plymouth Airport being cancelled.

The A386 is still closed both ways at Mary Tavy near Tavistock.