A SECOND bout of snow in four days left parts of East Cornwall cut off on Friday and six schools in the Callington and Gunnislake areas closed.

Some 48 schools out of 276 in the county did not open on Friday as adverse weather gripped the region, leaving a thick blanket of snow across many areas.

But while motorists experienced problems, children were making the most of another day off school, and armed with makeshift taboggans and bodyboards they made for the nearest slopes.

Callington Community College and Callington Primary School were closed, along with primary schools in Stoke Climsland, Harrowbarrow, Gunnislake and Delaware.

A stretch of the A390 Callington to Launceston road was closed from 8am on Friday after several inches of snow fell, but many early morning problems were averted due to Cornwall County Highways salting the routes following a severe weather warning the night before.

Duty co-ordinator for highways Jeremy Edwards said: 'We put our emergency weather desk into action.

'Our weather desk allows us to liaise with other emergency services, including the police, fire and ambulance services, the county council's emergency planning and primary care trusts and share information and resources.

'In particular we are able to give detailed information regarding the conditions of roads within Cornwall.'

Travel in and out of the county was difficult and the A30 was closed after a lorry jack-knifed. Cornwall's Fire Brigade was assisting emergency services with 4x4 transport for doctors, hospital staff and patients and emergency access to other vulnerable people.