The Midlands remained in the grip of a bitterly cold snap today after the region woke up to a blanket of snow yesterday.

The overnight snow flurries took thousands of early-morning motorists by surprise and Met Office forecaster Matt Roe said a couple of inches of snow had fallen on high ground in Staffordshire and Shropshire.

But he said the worst of the weather was over and the weekend would be mainly dry and cloudy but with the risk of a wintry shower tomorrow.

Today is set to stay dry and clear but with a significant wind chill factor .

The best of the sunshine will be at the start of the day but the cold will build up by the afternoon and temperatures will reach a high of 6C (43F) with an increased risk of showers this evening.

The wintry downpours came as the Environment Agency urged water companies in South-east England to impose hosepipe bans amid concerns of a drought.

But fears of similar actions in the Midlands were dismissed by Severn Trent Water, who said reserves for the region were currently at 90 per cent capacity.

A Severn Trent spokeswoman said: "At this point, we have no plans to impose any restrictions in the summer.

"In the Midlands, our reserves are currently averaging about 90 per cent full so we are in a good position for spring compared to other parts of the country.

"We still need the continued cooperation from customers to use water sensibly and make sure water is not wasted so that we can guarantee water supplies whatever the weather.

"Currently our storage situation is holding very well but we need that continuing effort from our customers. If we both work together in the summer, we shall get through the situation without any problems."

Barbara Young, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "We are in a serious situation now, where both the environment and our water supplies are at risk.

"There is still time for rain this winter and spring to reduce the risk of drought but water companies should not just hope for rain, they must act now in case the weather stays dry."

The Government yesterday hinted that compulsory metering could become an option to save water if shortage problems continue.