The West Midlands was shivering under a blanket of snow today as the big freeze continued.

No major snowfalls were forecast – but with temperatures tonight expected to drop to -7(19F) tonight, roads and pavements will continue to be treacherous.

The region’s transport network continued to creak under the pressure of icy conditions, with problems on road, rail and air. But that didn’t concern thousands of children who were enjoying an unexpected day off.

Most local education authorities were today leaving it up to headteachers to decide whether to open or not – although Solihull Council bosses decided last night that to avoid confusion there should be a blanket closure of all its 79 schools.

Gritters from all councils in the West Midlands and Staffordshire were out last night and this morning to ensure main routes remained clear or snow and ice.

Regional public transport was placed under strain, although the Midland Metro was today running as normal after staff worked through the night to ensure lines were cleared between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

In Dudley National Express West Midlands was only able to take buses along major roads. The majority of services in Walsall were operating as normal but drivers were having problems reaching the Beechdale and Blakenhall areas.

In Birmingham services were running as normal but buses were only travelling on main roads in Frankley, Gannow, Rubery, Rednal, West Heath and Turves Green.

In Wolverhampton and Sandwell all services were operating as normal, although there were expected to be delays on routes that included more minor roads.

National Express spokeswoman Carly O’Donnell said: “We will be monitoring the situation throughout the day.

“All main commuter routes are running normally. The only problems we would have is any minor estate roads which have not been gritted.”

In Sandwell, around 30 schools were shut today, including one of the biggest schools, the Q3 Academy in Wilderness Lane, Great Barr.

More than 30 schools in Birmingham were also closed, including Chad Vale Primary School in Edgbaston, and Bournville College.

Meanwhile, a failing heating system at an Oldbury primary school means two classes of pupils are being taught in the school hall.

Two classrooms at Brandhall Primary in Edinburgh Road, Oldbury, have been out of use since the beginning of December after the heating suffered continuing problems.

The council now needs to decide whether to replace the entire system in a seven-week building project or continue to just patch up the pipes.

Sandwell’s education chief Councillor Ian Jones said that although the situation was “unfortunate” children were not being taught in cold classrooms.

He said: “The situation at Brandhall is unfortunate. The was a leak in the heating system during the summer. Although this was fixed the work uncovered more problems and we now have two classrooms that aren’t operational.”

In Birmingham a pensioner was taken to hospital yesterday afternoon after trying to rescue his pet dog from a freezing lake.

The 74-year-old man jumped into the water at Handsworth Park just after 3pm when his black labrador fell through the ice.

The man was taken to City Hospital, where he was treated for suspected hypothermia.

The dog, nicknamed ‘Lucky’ by the firefighters who saved his life, is staying with a friend of the owner while he is in hospital.

Watch commander Bob Riley, from Handsworth station, said the dog had been in the freezing water for about half-an-hour, and firefighters managed to pull the dog out of the lake using just a ladder with a rope attached.

Commander Riley said: “He was about four metres out and clinging on to the edge of the ice with his two paws. It was quite difficult working in the cold and snowy conditions but we got him out in about five minutes. He was fine, but very cold.”

In Wolverhampton, nine city schools were shut to students today – although parents struggled to get information because the council’s website did not update until 8.15am, when most children were on their way.

Council bosses in South Staffordshire warned that waste and recycling collections may not be made on scheduled days. Residents were advised to leave bins and containers at the collection point where they will be emptied when conditions allow.

Binmen in Wolverhampton went out as normal today but warned they may not be able to reach properties on minor roads. Despite dangerous conditions, Wolverhampton Council said it was not gritting pavements and would be saving grit for major highways. In South Staffordshire pavements will also be left in an icy condition.

In Dudley, gardeners at Dudley Zoo have been braving the bitter temperatures to keep the attraction clear of snow. The team of six is also responsible for gritting roads around the 40-acre site in Castle Hill. The attraction was closed yesterday and a decision about today was being made this morning after an inspection of the paths.

Elsewhere, residents had to be evacuated because of a risk of an explosion when a car careered into a Chinese takeaway and ruptured a gas main.

The Golf ploughed into The Golden Cup in Colley Gate, Cradley, at around 10pm last night. Firefighters said the male driver lost control on the icy roads but was uninjured. Police evacuated the area and closed the road for several hours. Watch commander Carl Fentham, from Halesowen, said there was a risk of an explosion due to the leaking gas.

He said: “Gas had been leaking for up to 15 minutes before we arrived and it only needed a spark for it to ignite so there was a real risk of an explosion, it was all quite dramatic.

“We had to prioritise stemming the gas which we did by putting on a temporary fix. Although the building did not have any major structural damage, the impact was significant.”

A hit-and-run driver ploughed into schoolchildren when the car mounted the pavement while they were walking home in Kidderminster. One pupil was taken to hospital after the incident in Habberley Lane, yesterday. It was snowing when the silver car hit several children at around 11.15am while travelling towards Bewdley.

A girl was treated in hospital for a broken ankle after a people carrier-style vehicle, driven by a man in his 40s or 50s with grey hair, was in collision with the children. There was also thought to be a female passenger in the vehicle.

The snow also caused a driver to plough into a lamppost after he lost control of his car near a supermarket in Amblecote. The motorist aged between 18 and 20 skidded along Kirkstone Way near the Sainsbury’s store.

In Dudley today, a total of 42 schools and colleges were today shut, including Halesowen College and Windsor High in Halesowen. And bin collections were only being made from main roads and treated routes. Dudley Council said binmen would be judging road-by-road which they could safely collect from.

In Walsall, many roads were today still too dangerous for refuse and recycling collection vehicles to use. The council said 80 per cent of collections were impossible to reach.

More than 50 primary and secondary schools had announced closures this morning in the town, including Barr Beacon Language College and Joseph Leckie CTC.

Dozens of schools were also closed in Staffordshire today – but parents were hampered by a lack of information on the Staffordshire County Council website, which had still not been updated at 9am this morning.

Among those closed were Hednesford Valley Primary School and Chasetown Sports and Science College, while Cheslyn Hay Sports College was shut for the second day.

The weather also caused problems on the area’s roads as a lorry trailer unit slipped off a low loader on the M6 Toll at Churchbridge, Cannock. Firefighters were called to junction T7 southbound at 1.44pm yesterday. They used heavy rescue equipment to lift the trailer back on.

In Tamworth, a man was rescued from under a lorry trailer at the Lichfield Road Industrial Estate. The man in his 50s, who suffered suspected fractured ribs and abdominal pain, was taken by ambulance to Selly Oak Hospital.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service are also warning people of the dangers of playing on frozen lakes and ponds after Lichfield firefighters spotted children on the ice on Stowe Pool in the city centre.