As bingo operators witnessed the heavy snow down falls last night in the north east many operators were worried at the early sight of the white stuff. It had been hoped that we might avoid any adverse weather before Christmas as bingo companies work flat out to retain and attract new customers. The new year is set to bring around further problems with the VAT rise and government cuts taking effect and this period had very much been seen as the calm before the storm. With reports of the snow covering the UK over the next few days and claims that it might last up to two weeks, December maybe a difficult period for land based bingo clubs.

Britain awoke to the most widespread November snowfall seen for 17 years this morning.

Some parts of the north-east of England have been covered by up to 6in (15cm) of snow by heavy overnight falls and the Met office has issued severe weather warnings for over the weekend. Major roads ground to a halt as motorists struggled with the icy conditions. By 9am the AA had received 3,000 calls from stranded drivers.

Forecasters say today's snow is the tip of the iceberg and have warned that a 10-day freeze is on the way. Even London could see a couple of inches of snow at the weekend, they predict, with daytime temperatures rising just a few degrees above freezing.

Online bingo sites will be thinking that Christmas has come early as people stay at home rather than making the difficult trip to their local bingo club. For the older age players the icy and snowy weather conditions pose a significant health risk.