ARCTIC temperatures saw the big chill remain in York and North Yorkshire again today - but forecasters have said a brief let-up to the cold snap is in sight.

Temperatures recorded at Linton-on-Ouse and Topcliffe, near Thirsk, saw an overnight low of -8 Celsius (16 Fahrenheit), rising to minus two at dawn (28F). Highs of about 2C (36F) were expected today. In York, the River Ouse was again partly frozen, but the ice floes were smaller than earlier this week. Large parts of the River Foss remained frozen over.

A PA WeatherCentre spokesman said: "It was again very cold overnight and is expected to stay that way throughout today and tonight. It is due to get warmer this weekend though, with cloud cover coming in and temperatures reaching 6-7C (about 44F) on Saturday."

Four hundred Ryedale residents were left without gas last night, as a supply problem cut off supplies in Seamer, near Scarborough. Yorkshire Water staff were busy dealing with a number of burst water mains overnight, though a spokeswoman said today she was not aware of any customers losing supplies. She said: "None of the bursts were major incidents and engineers were quickly on scene."

Police said no accidents had been reported on the region's roads.

But despite the predicted weekend let-up, forecasters have dismissed talk of a long-term thaw. Instead, they say there are "hints" temperatures could plummet again next week.

* Yorkshire Water has issued advice to customers on how to protect their own pipes in cold weather. They advise checking, and lagging all exposed pipes, keeping buildings heated and draining exposed pipes. Information or advice is available on 01708 472 791. Transco's emergency telephone number is 0800 111 999.

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, January 03, 2002