Big freeze is over, but heavy rain and thawing snow could bring floods Today will be dry and bright in most places before a band of heavy rain pushes in from the west, starting in the late afternoon and continuing into the early hours of tomorrow morning. A Met Office spokesman said: "Heavy rain and milder temperatures mean the snow will thaw pretty rapidly in most areas, although it may take a while in places with a big accumulation." The Environment Agency has warned there is a risk of minor localised flooding caused by melting snow and ice in some areas, in particular south-west England, Wales, the West Midlands and northern England. The weather is likely to remain unsettled, with strong winds and heavy rain at times, until at least the middle of next week, although temperatures could reach as high as 10-11C (50-52F) in southern areas on Tuesday. The icy conditions claimed a number of lives, including BBC employee David Cox, 42, who died after his car skidded off a narrow path and plunged into a river in Derbyshire as he and his wife took their children to school on Thursday. Tim Davie, the BBC's acting director general, yesterday paid tribute to Mr Cox, saying he played a key role in the success of the corporation's coverage of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, warned motorists to resist the urge to speed up once the ice and snow is gone. He said: "Unfortunately, this cold snap followed the second wettest year on record so, quite understandably, the roads are showing some ill-effects with a "pothole storm" on the horizon. As the snow melts, the temptation is to drive that bit faster but you need to keep a look out for potholes and other hazards like flooding. :: The snow and ice cost British businesses an estimated £318 million over the past week as employees took 51.4 million hours off work, according to new research. Nearly one in five adults said they could not work their full contracted hours because of the recent adverse weather. More than 3.8 million people missed at least one full day of work in the last week as a result of the freezing conditions, and over 590,000 missed two or more days of work, a survey for Green Flag Breakdown found. Some analysts have suggested that the disruption caused by the snow has had such a major impact that it could tip the British economy into a triple-dip recession. Almost one in five people were too afraid to drive during the cold snap, and a further one in 20 tried to take to the roads but could not do so because of the icy conditions. Miranda Schunke, from Green Flag, suggested that the recent travel problems might lead to more British drivers buying winter tyres and snow chains to help them cope in the cold weather. She added: "It is not only the roads that have been frozen in the last week, for millions work commitments have been put on ice."