Newlyweds spend wedding night in school as 'mini beast from the east' strands dozens

Members of the North Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team direct a snowplough along a road near Okehampton, south west England. Photo / AP

A newly married couple were forced to spend their wedding night in a school after heavy snow shut a 100km stretch of a major road in south west England, the Daily Telegraph reports.

They spent the night with more than 80 other commuters as they took emergency shelter as a wintry snap dubbed the "mini beast from the east" wreaked havoc.

John and Sara Lund spent their honeymoon night in a rest centre at Okehampton College on the north side of Dartmoor.

The couple, who were married in Bristol, told the BBC they had been headed to Watergate Bay Hotel on the north Cornwall coast.

"We were heading down to Watergate Bay in Newquay for what would have been a very luxurious honeymoon in a beautiful bridal suite with bouquets of flowers but we, like a number of other people, got caught in the A30 just outside Okehampton," John Lund told BBC Breakfast.

"The lovely people of Devon County Council have looked after us very well.

"I didn't imagine there would be snow in March to be perfectly honest with you, but certainly didn't expect to spend our first night in a school college."

The couple said they hoped to make their way to the hotel, where they are booked in for three nights.

The A30 was hit by "significant snow," Devon and Cornwall Police said, with conditions "changing rapidly from passable to impossible".

Some 100km of road between the M5 at Exeter and the A38 at Bodmin were shut as a result while officers and Highways England cleared the route.

Although it was believed the cold snap would be over by the beginning of the week, wintry weather is continuing into today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice for all of England and Wales, lasting until tonight NZT.

Our newly weds, John & Sara who spent their wedding night at Okehampton Rest Centre.. Pretty unique way of spending your first night.. pic.twitter.com/UKNCdG5Ksf

— Richard White (@Sectorleadrich) March 19, 2018

Conditions are expected to brighten later in the week, with temperatures soaring to double figures by Friday.

Richard White, volunteer rest centre manager, said spirits were high among those sheltering in the school, despite their dramatic evening.

He said: "We first of all provide them with something hot to drink and we've got blankets, duvets.

"We make sure people get a good night's sleep, we feed them in the morning and weather-permitting, we prepare them to get back in their cars and on their way.

"Police want everybody off the roads to give them the opportunity to clear the roads with the snow ploughs and the gritters in time for the morning."

Hundreds of schools across the country shut due to the treacherous conditions, while train services were also disrupted, with some disruptions expected to continue on throughout the day.