BBC Look North

Image source, Reuters

Heavy snow showers are also lashing Europe and causing disruption.

The airport in the Swiss city of Geneva has been forced to shut down temporarily.

About 2,000 drivers were stranded on a motorway near the French city of Montpellier, with some complaining of being stuck for as long 24 hours.

While it's been called the "Beast from the East" here, the Dutch are calling it the "Siberian Bear" and Swedes the "Snow Cannon".

Simon King
BBC weather presenter and meteorologist

Residents of south Wales and south-west England should bear in mind that any apparent improvement in the weather may be short-lived.

The Met Office's red weather warning remains in place and heavy snow is due to fall in the afternoon.

Bad news for runners hoping to compete in this weekend's Newport Half Marathon - it has been cancelled.

The organisers said they could not guarantee entrants' safety so have decided to call it off.

It had been due to take place on Sunday.

Those brave enough to take a dip at the London Fields Lido did not let the weather put them off.

In fact, the pool saw an increase in visitors as snow fell.

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA

See more pictures here.

Police are reporting several problems on the M6 in Cumbria, with snowdrifts causing near "zero visibility" for drivers on junctions 39 in Shap, and 40 in Penrith.

Elsewhere, in Southwaite, south of Carlisle, two lanes are blocked southbound due to a jackknifed lorry between the Motoservice station and junction 41 for Catterlen.

A bus driver swerved to avoid a car during the treacherous weather conditions in Edinburgh.

The footage was filmed on a dashcam by van driver Gareth Smith, who was in the Fairmilehead area of the city.

Airports across the UK are being affected by the cold weather, and the fact that other airports across the country and in Europe are cancelling flights. Here is an update from key airports:

• Glasgow Airport:, external There will be no incoming or outbound flights until 15:00 GMT. More than 200 passengers spent the night in the terminal. The Red Cross brought cots, blankets and supplies for the stranded travellers
• Edinburgh Airport:, external The terminal will be closed until at least 12:00 because it does not have enough staff "to run operations securely"
• East Midlands Airport:, external The runway is closed due to snow, but it will reopen at 12:00
• Heathrow Airport:, external Flights have been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions, with short-haul flights to airports including Dublin and Glasgow severely affected
• Gatwick Airport:, external About 50 of the 350 flights due to depart from the terminal have been cancelled, there are also significant delays to other flights. Customers are advised to check the status of their flights before travelling
• City Airport:, external There are multiple cancellations and delays at the airport, mainly affecting Irish and internal flights

The London Ambulance Service cycle response unit prides itself on treating patients every day of the year in all weathers...

BBC Radio 5 live

Sam has been stuck on the M80 all night in his work van - he says tiredness is starting to set in. They've been sleeping in shifts in case they need to drive. The van has a kettle and a microwave so they've been able to make coffee.

"It says on the traffic updates that we're moving slowly but there is no sign, we haven't pulled forward at all," he says.

Mark is also stuck on the M80, near junction 7. He says he's tired and cold. "We had a full tank of fuel and we've been turning the heating on for an hour, then switching the ignition off for an hour, and we've been doing that repeatedly since 6.50pm last night."

Lesley has just got home after being stuck on the M80 for nearly 18 hours. She says it was very frightening - "It was pitch dark, the snow was drifting... it was just like a ghost town... there was no help nothing. Never again."

Image source, PA

Jonny McGuigan
Social Media Specialist, BBC Yorkshire

All trains from Leeds, Doncaster and Wakefield to London are currently suspended following damage to overhead lines in the area.

A number of services have been cancelled between Leeds and London already today.

Virgin Trains is advising customers not to travel.

Motorists on the M62 near Rochdale have been posting pictures of a Highways England vehicle on fire.

Highways England says the vehicle was being used to help stranded motorists out of the snow when it caught fire.

Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Sometimes you just need a little bit of muscle power in these conditions...

Service personnel from RAF Wittering near Peterborough have been helping the emergency services just over the border in south Lincolnshire:

There will be no non-urgent operations and outpatient appointments today across the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area and Borders.

NHS Fife has also postponed most outpatient appointments.

In Lothian, the health board says, as far as possible, it is "business as usual".

NHS 24 is asking that people call only if absolutely necessary, as its services are stretched.

In Northern Ireland, all hospital outpatient clinics, except maternity and mandeville are cancelled, external today and tomorrow on all sites.

All community outpatient clinics in Northern Ireland are also cancelled today and tomorrow.

For the latest updates, follow tweets from NHS England, external, NHS Scotland, external, Public Health Wales, external and Northern Ireland's Department of Health, external.