North Somerset Council is redeploying staff to clear roads and pavements of snow.

But some country lanes at Failand and Long Ashton remain impassable.

North Somerset Council deputy leader Elfan Ap Rees said: "Footpaths and side roads remain icy with compacted snow and extreme caution, particularly on gradients is still needed."

In Nailsea the bus couldn’t get up The Perrings because people had be sledging on the road and made conditions ‘lethal’ while at Weston-super-Mare police have arrested a youth for throwing snowballs from a multi-storey car park.

And in another incident a woman was taken to hospital after being hit on the head by a snowball thrown from a moving vehicle.

Sergeant Pete Land said: "We want everyone to have a great time this Christmas and hopefully we might finally get a white Christmas.

“However, please remember that sometimes being hit by a snowball is not that well received.

“It is an offence to throw objects or missiles onto or across a highway whether you are in the street or on or in a building or even a motor vehicle".

Bristol Airport is open and the majority of flights are operating as normal.

However because of the adverse weather passengers are advised to contact their airline to confirm the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

For five days, the council has been working 24-hours a day to keep main roads clear.

A slight rise in temperature and no snowfall since Monday means that work to clear remaining snow is continuing.

All pre-salted routes were ploughed on Tuesday morning in an attempt to remove any remaining lying snow in the traffic lanes.

Secondary routes were then treated with a salt/grit mix onto generally well compacted snow which will not respond to ploughing in its frozen state.

The mix used for this is a combination of rock salt and grit.

When the salt begins to melt the compacted ice it allows the grit to give traction.

This conserves rock salt and is the same mix used in grit bins throughout the district.

Cllr Ap Rees, whose portfolio includes highways, said: "Our ground maintenance contractors have been helping our highway contractors to refill existing grit bins in the area but we continue to ask local residents to report anyone seen stealing grit for their own private drives.

"Staff our tree surgeons,have been busy helping in clearing GP surgeries accesses for example and Fountain our street cleansing contractors, unable to carry out their normal duties, have been clearing footpaths in Portishead, Worle and Weston-super-Mare, assisted by workers supplied by our green infrastructure team and The Green Team volunteer group."

Several minor roads remain closed including Yanleigh Lane, Long Ashton; Monks Hill, Kewstoke; Sandy Lane, Failand and Cleeve Hill Road/Wrington Hill, at Cleeve.

A further full pre-salt on the highway network was carried out at 7pm on Tuesday.

Cllr Ap Rees added: "While we may escape further substantial snow falls, the snow is going to be around for some time so all road users need to remain alert to the risks posed by ice and drive according to the conditions.

"Having used 1,300 tonnes of salt since the end of October, our current stock is around 700 tonnes, which should be sufficient to last us into early January.

“However we are expecting several hundred tonnes of deliveries between now and the New Year.

"Meanwhile I want to thank the public who have turned out to help neighbours and others during this freeze for their patience and positive spirit, as well as contractor and our own staff who have worked long hours to keep services going as beast as possible."

 A cold weather check list, road salting routes and information on closures of council facilities are available on the council's website by clicking HERE.