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The Guardian - AU
National
Haroon Siddique (now), Matthew Weaver and Bonnie Malkin (earlier)

Freezing temperatures and snow hit Britain – as it happened

Icicles hang from a frozen elephant fountain in Colchester.
Icicles hang from a frozen elephant fountain in Colchester. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Back in Blighty, meanwhile, Met Office forecaster Mark Wilson says the UK is facing an “exceptionally cold” night, with the potential for temperatures to plunge as low as -10C in parts of Scotland.

There is further heavy snow forecast overnight for the north east and eastern parts of Scotland and isolated showers elsewhere, he added.

That’s all from our live coverage of #Snowmageddon for today - thanks for reading.

The shore of the bay of Ajaccio on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica was covered with snow on Tuesday.
The shore of the bay of Ajaccio on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica was covered with snow on Tuesday. Photograph: Elise Bretaud/AFP/Getty Images

At least 24 people have died in mainland Europe in the past four days as freezing temperatures brought snow as far south as the balmy Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Capri.

Some of the iciest conditions were reported in Italy, where many schools and daycare centres were closed, frustrating parents already preparing for closures next week linked to this weekend’s general election.

Italians’ anger was also growing over nationwide disruptions to rail services as a lack of defrosting equipment on the tracks meant workers having to clear snow and ice manually.

A driver in Turin got a fright when a stalactite broke off from an overhead bridge and shattered his windshield - though he managed to keep control of his vehicle.

Russia’s Gazprom, a major gas supplier to Europe, said it had sent record exports to the continent over the past six days as people turned up their thermostats.

Meteo France has forecast heavy snowfalls arriving from Spain that will blanket most of the country later this week.

There’s plenty more snow forecast this week, as the Met Office is warning:

Yes it’s rather chilly in the UK, but as always they do winter far better on the Continent, as this image from the Italian province in which Florence is located attests.

The extreme cold expected to hit many parts of Europe could send temperatures plummeting to lows not seen for a decade.

A driver clears snow from his vehicle in Casaglia, Mugello on Tuesday.
A driver clears snow from his vehicle in Casaglia, Mugello on Tuesday. Photograph: Maurizio Degl'Innocenti/EPA

Southeastern is warning passengers that if conditions deteriorate significantly it may need to run an emergency timetable.

Shoppers on Oxford Street in central London brave the snow.
Shoppers on Oxford Street in central London brave the snow. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA

The “beast from the east” has already disrupted train services, forced schools to close and caused airlines to cancel flights. But what sort of consequences could there be for the UK economy?

Periods of extreme wintry weather are rare in the UK, but one of them hit the UK in December 2010, and its impact on the economy was later investigated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Its findings suggested that the cold snap caused a temporary drop in overall economic growth, along with dips in the growth of output for retail sales and the UK’s service industries.

The distribution, hotel and restaurant sector showed evidence of an impact, as “customers postponed discretionary trips because of the bad weather”.

Overseas travel and tourism was also affected, with the cold weather having a “detrimental effect” on the number of UK residents travelling abroad.

There was “no apparent effect” on the average number of weekly hours worked in the country, however, while higher activity was recorded in “computer programming, consultancy and related activities” - an area that could be “less prone to weather disruption”.

December 2010 was the coldest December for more than a century, according to the Met Office, with snowfalls occurring on several days in almost all areas of the country and temperatures plunging as low as minus 21.3C at Altnaharra in the Highlands.

The current cold snap is not forecast to be quite so severe or last as long, and so far this week temperatures have fallen only as low as minus 8.9C, recorded at Farnborough in Hampshire.

Updated

Summary

What we know so far

  • Heavy snow and freezing conditions has prompted widespread travel disruption and several serious road accidents. Three people died Lincolnshire in a crash involving a lorry and Renault Clio on the A15. In neighbouring Cambridgeshire, one person suffered life-threatening injuries in one of three collisions on the A47. And in Essex 17 cars were involved in a pile up on the A120.
  • Hundreds of schools have been forced to close because of bad weather. They include 131 schools in Kent, 62 in East Sussex, more than 200 in Wales and 44 in North Yorkshire.
  • The Met Office has expanded its amber be prepared warning for snow on Wednesday and Thursday to cover most of eastern Scotland and north-east England. Up to 40cm of snow is forecast for some areas. Scotland’s transport minister, Humza Yousaf, urged Scots to be prepared for “an acute weather challenge over the coming days”.
  • An updated amber, be prepared, warning for snow and ice has also been issued for Friday for most of Wales, western England and parts of the West Midlands. The Met Office says as the remains of Atlantic Storm Emma clash with cold air over the UK, there is “potential to produce widespread snow, accompanied by strong to gale force winds”.
  • Dozens of rail services have been cancelled or disrupted. Greater Anglia has suspended several branch lines in East Anglia and warned of cancellations at late notice. Southeastern, which operates in Kent, cancelled several services into London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street.
  • British Airways has cancelled dozens flights from Heathrow Airport, while easyJet warned disruption to its flights was expected.
  • Fen skaters are hopeful of skating on the iced-over flooded flatlands south of the Wash for the first time in eight years. Organisers said if overnight temperatures of -5C continue there is 70% chance of skating on the fens by the end of the week.

This is an interesting statement from the Stansted Express. It says services are returning to normal for the rest of the day but admits that in cancelling earlier trains it was preparing for the worst “in the light of the forecast severe weather” - in other words the fact that it did not turn out as bad as anticipated meant it could have run more services.

It’s not a good day to be doing this job:

Southeastern trains has warned of more cancellations on its network during the evening rush hour:

Amid the pretty pictures, a reminder of how difficult it is for rough sleepers in these conditions.

The sub-zero temperatures mean keepers at Bristol zoo gardens are taking extra measures to ensure animals keep warm during the freezing weather, including giving some animals peanut butter.

Small primates such as the zoo’s squirrel monkeys and tamarins are given small amounts of peanut butter as a special fatty treat, while gorillas are given extra bedding. Many of the animal enclosures are also heated.

Bristol is set for snow on Thursday and the sub-zero temperatures are expected to continue for days to come.

Lynsey Bugg, curator of mammals at Bristol zoo gardens, said:

Many of our other animals are provided with supplementary heaters at this time of year, such as our capybara, tapirs and warty pigs. They also get much bigger straw beds outside to help them snuggle in.

Some animals, such as the zoo’s two red pandas, positively welcome the conditions.

They are native to the mountainous regions of Nepal and Southwest China and their fur is long and thick to protect against rain and cold.

Red panda in the snow at Bristol Zoo Gardens
Red panda in the snow at Bristol Zoo Gardens Photograph: Mark Eastment/Bristol Zoo Gardens

To say the weather has been changeable would be an understatement.

Readers around the UK have been sharing images of the scenes where they are – what they can make out, at least.

This was the picture in Bromley, south London, at lunchtime.

snow street Bromley
‘It is cold (about minus 2 degrees) and snowing in Bromley. Its great.’ Photograph: ATHummings/GuardianWitness

Almost whiteout conditions in Brighton at about 1pm:

‘The seafront in Kemptown, Brighton – snowy despite the salt.’
‘The seafront in Kemptown, Brighton – snowy despite the salt.’ Photograph: Meriel Beattie/GuardianWitness

And this reader’s usually enviable office view was somewhat scuppered today in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh castle as seen from reader Tim Lukins’s office.
Edinburgh castle as seen from reader Tim Lukins’s office. Photograph: Tim Lukins/GuardianWitness

Some have, however, been able to enjoy clearer skies.

North Yorkshire snow
‘Badly affected this morning by the snow in North Yorkshire. Couldn’t go cycling, had to go walking with the wife instead.’ Photograph: John Main/GuardianWitness

You can continue to share your images and video via GuardianWitness using the contribute buttons above.

Updated

Samuel Gibbs picks out the best apps to help you get home in the snow.

Kent Police are urging drivers to take extra care after dealing with 160 collisions and 60 other weather related calls since midnight.

It said that none of the incidents have caused serious injuries but they also a series of delays on the roads.

The Maidstone and Swale areas are worst affected and there are currently a number of incidents on the M20 between junctions 7 and 9 in both directions. There are also traffic issues affecting Detling Hill, Bluebell Hill, the A20 in Charing and Lenham and the M2 between junctions 5 and 6 in both directions. All the main roads and motorways in the county are currently open, but there are some lane closures in place which may cause delays.

The cricket season is only two months away.

Photographer Paul Kingston captured a fantastic snowy image from the top of Durham cathedral.

Other ecclesiastical snow scenes are available.

The updated forecast for Thursday is especially bleak. Two amber be prepared warnings have been expanded by the Met Office. One covers eastern Scotland and north-east England and the other applies to much of western England and Wales.

Met Office weather warnings for Wednesday and Thursday.
Met Office weather warnings for Wednesday and Thursday. Photograph: Met Office

An updated amber, be prepared, warning for snow and ice has been issued for Friday for most of Wales, western England and parts of the West Midlands.

The Met Office is warning of widespread snow as the remains of the Atlantic Storm Emma clashes with cold air over the UK.

It said:

As it comes into contact with the very cold air resident over the UK, it has potential to produce widespread snow, accompanied by strong to gale force winds. As less cold air follows from the south, there is a chance of snow turning to freezing rain bringing an additional significant ice risk. There is still uncertainty in how this system will develop, but there is a chance that the combined effects of snow, strong winds and ice will lead to severe impacts.

What we know so far

  • Heavy snow and freezing conditions has prompted widespread travel disruption and several serious road accidents. Three people died Lincolnshire in a crash involving a lorry and Renault Clio on the A15. In neighbouring Cambridgeshire, one person suffered life-threatening injuries in one of three collisions on the A47. And in Essex 17 cars were involved in a pile up on the A120.
  • Hundreds of schools have been forced to close because of bad weather. They include 131 schools in Kent, 62 in East Sussex, more than 200 in Wales and 44 in North Yorkshire.
  • The Met Office has expanded its amber be prepared warning for snow on Wednesday and Thursday to cover most of eastern Scotland and north-east England. Up to 40cm of snow is forecast for some areas. Scotland’s transport minister, Humza Yousaf, urged Scots to be prepared for “an acute weather challenge over the coming days”.
  • Dozens of rail services have been cancelled or disrupted. Greater Anglia has suspended several branch lines in East Anglia and warned of cancellations at late notice. Southeastern, which operates in Kent, cancelled several services into London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street.
  • British Airways has cancelled dozens flights from Heathrow Airport, while easyJet warned disruption to its flights was expected.
  • Fen skaters are hopeful of skating on the iced-over flooded flatlands south of the Wash for the first time in eight years. Organisers said if overnight temperatures of -5C continue there is 70% chance of skating on the fens by the end of the week.

One person has suffered life-threatening injuries after three crashes on the A47 in Cambridgeshire which are all believed to have involved the same vehicle, police said.

Cambridgeshire Police said the collisions all took place on the same stretch of the road near Peterborough.

The third crash involved three vehicles and led to the serious injury, the force said.
The A47 has been closed in both directions between the A1 at Wansford and the A1260 in Peterborough to allow police, fire crews and an air ambulance to deal with the incident.

The cancellation of trains due to snow could add to the millions of pounds rail companies receive each year in compensation, according to PA.

Operators in England and Wales received £181m from Network Rail for unplanned disruption in the 2016/17 financial year, but paid out just £74m in compensation to delayed passengers.

Greater Anglia - which cancelled more than 200 trains in anticipation of the Siberian blast - received £4.4m during the period.

Public transport campaigners have called for automatic compensation to be introduced across the rail industry, to ensure more passengers receive what they are entitled to.

Just over a third (35%) of passengers are claiming compensation, according to a study by Transport Focus published in November 2016. This was compared with 12% in 2013.

Network Rail makes payments to train companies when the aggregate length of delays exceeds a performance benchmark over a certain period.

Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Passengers see train operators profiting from delays and are rightly angry. What we need is automatic delay-repay, already run by some companies, rolled out across the system and for the Department of Transport (DfT) to stop blocking much needed fares reform.”

A spokesman for industry body the Rail Delivery Group said: “These payments are overseen by the rail regulator which says that they keep costs down for taxpayers and fare payers, and they are completely separate from the money customers rightly receive for delays.

“The payments compensate train operators for lost revenue when fewer people travel due to disruption and they encourage rail companies to work together to improve punctuality.”

A Virgin train leaves Newcastle Train station following heavy overnight snowfall which has caused disruption across Britain.
A Virgin train leaves Newcastle Train station following heavy overnight snowfall which has caused disruption across Britain. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PA

Three people have died in a crash on the A15 in Baston Lincolnshire this morning.

The collision involved a blue Renault Clio and a white Scania lorry, according to Lincolnshire police.

Lead Investigator, Sergeant Helen Alcock, said: “Sadly three people have lost their lives this morning and several people have faced the shock of witnessing or coming across the scene. I appeal to anyone who was driving in the area or saw the collision to contact me. I also ask if drivers can check their dash cams for footage of either of the vehicles involved. This will help our investigation.”

The road is closed in both directions.

Police in the county have urged drivers to take care in icy conditions.

Updated

Seventeen cars were involved in a pile-up on the A120 between Colchester and Elmsted Market, according to Essex Police.

One person suffered minor injuries in the incident on the Clacton-bound carriageway, which occurred at 10am on Tuesday morning amid heavy snow.

Images posted on social media showed a lorry among the vehicles at a standstill on one side of the road.

Police urged drivers to avoid the route, with one lane currently closed eastbound and a warning that the entire road “may need to be closed for recovery”.

East of England Ambulance Service said it had almost 30 call outs to traffic collisions this morning.

Pupils from 131 schools in Kent are off school today after the heavy snow. They are not complaining in Knole Park.

Up to 40cm of snow in parts

The Met’s chief forecaster is warning of up to 40cm of snow in some areas of Scotland and north east England on Wednesday and Thursday.

The latest assessment says:

Snow showers will bring variable snow cover, but parts of northeast England and Scotland are expected to see the most frequent snow showers from Wednesday morning to Thursday afternoon. During this time, 5-10 cm of snow is expected quite widely. Where showers become organised though, most likely across Scotland and over the hills of northern England, some places are likely to have an additional 15-25 cm of snow, locally as much as 40 cm. Strong winds will lead to drifting of snow and severe wind chill, while lightning could be an additional hazard, particularly near coasts.

Updated

Snow warning extended

The Met Office has expanded its amber be prepared warning for “significant accumulations” of snow on Wednesday and Thursday to cover most of eastern Scotland and north-east England.

The warning says:

Frequent and heavy snow showers are expected on Wednesday and Thursday leading to some significant accumulations developing. Long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and air travel could occur. Roads may become blocked by deep snow, with many stranded vehicles and passengers. Some rural communities might be cut off for several days. Long interruptions to power supplies and other services such as telephone and mobile phone networks, could occur.

Updated

PA has a round up of the latest disruption:

Heavy snow has forced hundreds of schools to close and caused disruption to travel.

The icy blast overnight has caused misery for morning commuters with scores of trains cancelled.

Many schools across the country shut on Tuesday, including more than 200 in Wales, 131 in Kent and 62 in East Sussex.

Some roads were closed after a blanketing of snow, with police forces reporting treacherous driving conditions and blocked routes.

The Met Office said several centimetres of snow had fallen in some parts overnight - with between 3cm and 4cm in Newcastle and Northumberland.

Farnborough in Hampshire saw the lowest overnight temperature of minus 8.9C.

Trains have also been affected by the snowfall, with cancellations and disruptions on lines across the country.

Southeastern, which operates in Kent, has cancelled dozens of trains, including several to London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street, while other companies affected include Southern, Greater Anglia and Great Northern.

British Airways has cancelled dozens flights from Heathrow Airport, while easyJet warned disruption to its flights was expected.

Trains pass over snow covered tracks near Hunts Cross Station, Merseyside.
Trains pass over snow covered tracks near Hunts Cross Station, Merseyside. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Fen ice skaters are hopeful

Fen skaters are hopeful of skating on the iced over flooded flatlands south of the Wash for the first time in eight years.

Roger Giles, who posts regular updates on the state of the ice near his home in Welney, Cambridgeshire, reckons there is a 70% chance of skating by the end of the week.

“I’m damned excited, we all are,” he told the Guardian.

He added: “A couple of more days of -5C like last night and we could be skating on the very shallow patches, so we are quite close. You really need -8C frost at night for two or three nights to really get a good skating surface, but -5C like it was last night for three days would give us something.”

Giles is one of the senior figures in fen skating who will decide if the ice is thick enough for skating to go ahead. Three others will decide if a speed skating race meeting can be held.

He explained: “Malcolm Robinson, Dave Smith and our chairman Nigel Blake are the big cheeses that give it the check out before we can race. I’m about 70% sure that we’ll be on the ice in some shape or form. I doubt if we’ll be racing this week, but we’ll probably have a few skaters on some of the safer patches.”

The challenge will be sweeping the snow off the ice. He said: “We have boards on long sticks to push the snow off to make a 400m track, it can be quite difficult.”

However, he urged wannabe skaters not to travel to the fens just yet. “Everybody is getting excited and they all think they are going to jump on a train from London and get off at Littleport and come and skate, but not for two or three days.”

He added: “You have to be careful even at Welny where the water is only a few feet deep, because there are deeper ditches criss crossing the field and rivers at the edges. So if you are not a local you could waltz up onto a river, so you’ve got to be so careful.”

But Giles predicted that some experienced skaters may have already have discovered secret patches to skate in case there is a race meeting in the next few days.

He said: “One or two fen men find patches where they can practice without telling anybody else. They all say to each other ‘Oh we haven’t been doing any training’, but when it comes to racing they’ve all been training like the devil.”

The Guardian covered the last fen skating meeting in January 2010.

Giles said: “Your chap from the Guardian came down in 2010 and got stuck in a snow drift and our girls from the office had to pull him out and save him from a snowy death in a fen drove.”

Updated

Time for a selection of snow videos from Maidstone in Kent; Manchester; Seaton Carew, south of Hartlepool; and York.

Some 45 school children in Lincolnshire are suffering shock after their school bus collided with a car north of Peterborough and ran off the road in heavy snow.

Lincolnshire police said none of the children were injured but “they are obviously shocked”.

It added: “It will take some time to recover the bus and the road will be closed later to complete this. Emergency services are still at the scene dealing with this.”

The accident was one of 20 collisions this morning on Lincolnshire’s roads.

The number of school closures in now running into the hundreds. Here are some of the latest closures to add to the growing list:

Updated

A sustained cold snap could be especially costly for the farming sector, particularly sheep farmers, some of whose flocks have already started lambing.

The rural insurer NFU Mutual warns that the cost of burst pipes could run into thousands for individual farms.

The National Sheep Association said snow and low temperatures had the potential to cause real problems for its members as lambing season approaches. Speaking to the Guardian, a spokeswoman said:

New born lambs are vulnerable to hypothermia and frozen water makes jobs take 10 times longer than normal. There is a potential for losses especially for those lambing outside.

If sheep are caught in snow drifts they can easily become buried. And when they are heavily pregnant they not as mobile as they usually are.

Getting feed to them can also be very difficult in snow.

Sheep farmers in upland areas probably won’t have started lambing yet, but problems with feeding could have an impact. And some in south will have started lambing.

At this stage it’s hard to say whether it will have an impact on the whole sector.

Yorkshire Dales farmer Andrew Coates (right) bringing feed last week in heavy snow to some of the two and a half thousand sheep he looks after on the fells between Hawes and Garsdale, North Yorkshire
Yorkshire Dales farmer Andrew Coates (right) bringing feed last week in heavy snow to some of the two and a half thousand sheep he looks after on the fells between Hawes and Garsdale, North Yorkshire Photograph: John Giles/PA

“Rug up” in sensible shoes, plenty of warm clothes, gloves and a beanie, advises a hatless and gloveless Ian St John, deputy director of operations at London Ambulance.

Photographer Grey Hutton has spent the winter photographing homeless people with a thermal imaging camera to highlight the hardship that so many face on the streets.

On Monday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that emergency shelters for rough sleepers will be open all week.

The number of schools closed is rising and now well into three figures.

Updated

This was the scene at dawn in Tunbridge Wells in Kent, courtesy of our picture editor Guy Lane.

A snow lined street in Tunbridge Wells at dawn on Tuesday
A snow lined street in Tunbridge Wells at dawn on Tuesday Photograph: Guy Lane

A horse race meeting at Catterick, North Yorkshire has abandoned after heavy overnight snow.

Dozens of schools closed

Dozens of schools have been forced to closed because of snow and freezing temperatures. The latest closures include:

With local authority websites suffering under the demand for updates, the Department for Education has a postcode system for checking whether schools in your area have been closed.

Look out for “more organised snow” in parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales.

Scotland’s transport minister, Humza Yousaf, has urged Scots to be prepared for “an acute weather challenge over the coming days”. He warned of “significant disruption to the transport network” especially on Wednesday when an amber, be prepared, warning is in place from the early hours until 9pm.

In a statement Yousaf added: “Whilst the worst of the weather is predicted to impact the east of Scotland, the rest of the country is also likely to face wintry conditions, so I’d ask travellers to consider if they need to make their journeys during the amber warning periods. If you do choose to travel during those times, you are very likely to face delays and disruption.”

Some good news on the roads and railways:

But the situation is not at all good at Essex Road in north London:

These maps show just how cold and snowy it has been across the UK. Temperatures dropped to minus 6 in some parts of the south-east.

Multiple crashes on the roads

The Press Association reports that police forces across the UK have recorded a number of crashes on the roads as driving conditions worsen.

Lincolnshire Police tweeted that they were already dealing with five collisions by 6.30am on Tuesday morning and said roads were “particularly hazardous”.

Merseyside Police urged people to take care while driving, and said the force had received reports of a crash on the M62 just before junction 5.

And the North West Motorway Police tweeted that it was on the scene of a crash on the M6 eastbound at junction 5 after a car span across all three lanes and hit a tree.

The view from Manchester, with thanks to reader Luke Watson:

Struggling to stay warm and look cool? Unsure if it is acceptable to wear a thermal onesie to work in the snow? The Guardian has the answer. Read on for our guide to snow-day style:

Updated

More good tidings from Newcastle airport:

Here’s a bit of good news: Luton airport is operating as normal!

However, passengers are advised to check with their airline and allow extra time before travelling to the airport.

The view from Blackpool:

And the snow is looking pretty deep here too:

Updated

More bad news for commuters in the capital:

And for those relying on Greater Anglia services:

Updated

Oh dear this is not good timing at all:

This is where things stand before rush hour gets under way:

  • Roads across the UK have already seen a blanketing of snow, with police forces reporting treacherous driving conditions and blocked routes. Highways England said the M20 in Kent had become blocked by a “number” of stranded lorries overnight, while the A249 was shut due to a crash.
  • Areas around Harrogate and Craven were also particularly treacherous, according to North Yorkshire Police. The Met Office said several centimetres of snow had fallen in some parts over the night - with 1cm in Kent by 5am, and between 3cm and 4cm in Newcastle and Northumberland.
  • Trains have also been affected by the snowfall. Southeastern, which operates railways in Kent, has cancelled dozens of trains, including several to London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street, while other companies affected include Southern, Greater Anglia and Great Northern.
  • British Airways has cancelled several flights from Heathrow Airport, while easyJet warned disruption to its flights was expected. School closures were also likely.
  • Heavy showers are expected to continue throughout the morning.

Updated

So just how cold is it going to get?

Well, conditions are not likely to improve for several days, with forecasters warning that snow will continue will into the week and daytime temperatures would “struggle to get above freezing” across many areas.

Forecaster Frank Saunders told the Press Association that parts of the country could see their “coldest spell of weather since at least 2013, and possibly since 1991”.

It is expected that the mercury could plummet to minus 15C by midweek where there is snow on the ground, rivalling temperatures forecast for parts of northern Norway and Iceland.

Rail updates:

More trouble on the trains ...

Some images from the frontline:

Updated

Today’s papers predictably feature a flurry of stories about the weather.

The Express leads with “Blizzards to sweep Britain”. The Star has “Snow joke” and says “pathetic” Britain has ground to a halt after a bit of bad weather. The i leads with “Arctic blast hits UK”.

The Sun picks up the disruption theme and splashes with “The Great British Flake off” moaning that the country is in chaos before hardly any snow has fallen.

Elsewhere, the Telegraph uses the weather to blast the rail operators who it says are getting compensation from Network Rail for cancelled services but who pay out far less than that to passengers.

The problems on the roads are moving south, with Highways England saying the M20 in Kent had become blocked eastbound between junctions 8 and 9 by “a number” of stranded lorries.

The Met Office says Kent and parts of the South East had already seen approximately 1cm of snow overnight, while the North East, including Newcastle and Northumberland, had seen between 3cm to 4cm.

The London Overground has started to struggle:

Here is the official word on driving and getting to school (via the Press Association):

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said there would be some “quite treacherous driving conditions” due to the snow, as many make their way into work.

“Most people will have to travel, but if you don’t have to travel - it is best to try to avoid if you can within those amber warnings,” he said.

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “Schools should stay open if they possibly can but safety concerns are the most important.

“If it’s not safe for the school to be open then it is fine to close. You have to take into consideration journeys at the beginning and the end of the day, as conditions may change whilst the school is open. It is important that staff and parents can get home at the end of the day as well.”

Police are already dealing with crashes on the A19 and A68 in the north-east. A reminder to please take care on the roads and only travel if absolutely necessary.

Updated

So it begins ...

So, which parts of the country are affected by the yellow and amber warnings? Behold:

The ‘beast’ comes to Britain fresh from hitting Continental Europe. For a taste of what we can expect, our picture editor has pulled together some images of the freezing weather across the Channel.

Good morning and welcome to our coverage of the most extravagantly named cold snap in British history – probably. Yes, today we greet ‘the beast from the east’, a blast of Siberian weather that the Met Office has warned will bring heavy snow and freezing conditions along the east coast of the UK and south-east England. There is likely to be disruption on the roads, railways and in the air. It is, indeed, a monster.

You can read the full story here:

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