LIFE was beginning a very slow return to normal across Merseyside as a slight thaw has set in following Arctic conditions.

But services are far from restored with piled up rubbish, undelivered mail, and abandoned bus stops in evidence.

In Liverpool, priority roads have been gritted with 100 tonnes of rock salt delivered yesterday. Another 100 are due today.

The majority of buses are running normally, though some services are still disrupted.

John Lennon Airport reported business as usual with no delays or cancellations on flights up to last night. It has also been taking diverted flights from other airports, including a Dublin to Leeds/ Bradford Ryanair plane.

Liverpool City Council, St Helens, Wirral, Sefton, and Knowsley are collecting bins on main routes but assessing side streets case by case.

Green waste collection has been suspended in most cases until the end of the month.

The Royal Mail has included Liverpool in a list of northern areas suffering from mail disruption, with no date given for a return to normal service.

Drivers on three of the busiest routes into St Helens, the Rainford Bypass, East Lancs Road, and Linkway, are being warned not to used the iced-up second lane.

Rolling closures on those routes will take place today as emergency services try to shift 6ins of snow.

The Met Office confirmed a slow thaw in Merseyside, saying that daytime temperatures will hover just over freezing for the rest of the week.