THE giant shopping mall Bluewater at Greenhithe, near Dartford, was open for business today after being forced to shut yesterday because of appalling weather.

The icy conditions had made the entrances and exits to the site extremely hazardous and bosses made the decision to close the centre yesterday morning on safety grounds.

A spokesman said today that everything was back to normal. She added: “We worked through the night to clear the snow. We had the snow ploughs out and the gritters. Some 65 tonnes of salt was put down last night to make the roads safe.”

People stranded at the centre by the weather yesterday were taken to the train station in Bluewater’s four-wheel drive vehicles and the Landrovers kept on site.

Bluewater would not be drawn on the level of losses suffered by businesses. “It’s impossible to say”, a spokesman said. “We can’t predict what we would have taken. Our priority was for our customers’ safety so we took the decision to close.”

Meanwhile, schools across Kent have again been affected by the weather and some have closed for the day.

The Hundred of Hoo School, near Rochester, was one of those shut, with the exception of sixth form students sitting exams.

As the cold spell continues the snow, which fell during the past few days, has now turned to dangerous ice.

Although there was no more snowfall overnight, temperatures plummeted below freezing and the downtrodden snow has become icy, making walkways dangerous.

A spokesman for AA Roadwatch said: "The roads seem to be fine. There are no speed restrictions or closures."