Photographer Roger Harris took advantage of the snowy backdrop in Kent.

Image source, Roger Harris

Image source, Roger Harris

Image source, Roger Harris

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government's minister for transport, says he's looking at the traffic cameras and seeing "far too much traffic" on the roads.

It's a message reiterated by Police Scotland Superintendent Helen Harrison who warns: "The red warning is the highest that the Met Office issues and is not taken lightly.

"It indicates conditions will be treacherous with drifting and lying snow, winds creating blizzard conditions and very low temperatures."

Image source, Getty Images

Thursday is predicted to be the most treacherous day of the week for Britain's drivers with as many as 35,000 potential roadside breakdowns.

The estimate comes from breakdown provider Green Flag, which said it had experienced a 72% increase in call-outs by midday on Wednesday.

The RAC, meanwhile, had its busiest day for 10 years on Tuesday with 9,500 call-outs.

The World at One
BBC Radio 4

The former director of the Rough Sleepers Unit under Tony Blair says the numbers of people sleeping on the streets has "gone up and up since 2010" when she was in office.

Dame Louise Casey told Radio 4's World at One that she welcomed the government's initiative of helping the homeless by putting "more beds in to the system when it is freezing cold".

But she said "chucking them out again in the morning... was missing an opportunity to get more people into the system" for longer term help.

Schools are set to close until next week as much of Wales braces itself for heavy snowfall.

Vale of Glamorgan, Bridgend, Ceredigion, Cardiff, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Rhondda Cynon Taf councils have advised all schools to shut on Thursday and Friday.

In Neath Port Talbot and Torfaen, many schools have already told parents they will be shut on Thursday.

A St David's Day parade organised for Cardiff city centre at 12:30 GMT Thursday is set to go ahead but celebrations at the Senedd have been cancelled.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, The Church in Wales

Woolly hats, scarves and jumpers have appeared in several sites around Wrexham with labels that read: "Please take me."

Local volunteers have left the garments on lampposts, benches and shop doors for the benefit of rough sleepers as the UK prepares for another night of snow.

Local reverend Jason Bray, who has been sheltering people in his church this week, said: “Cold weather often brings out the best in a community, and this is an example of someone from Wrexham showing they care."

Amy Woodfield
BBC News

The A1 is still closed in both directions near Retford after a 16 vehicle pile-up on the southbound carriageway.

Image source, Highways England

Five lorries are among the vehicles involved in the crash that happened at about midday.

Injuries are believed to be minor at this time.

Meanwhile the northbound carriageway is at a standstill because of the weather, police said.

Image source, Highways England

Nottinghamshire Police has said it is "working hard" to get the road reopened.

Drivers are being asked to avoid the area.

Victoria Fritz
BBC transport correspondent

The current cold weather means we are more likely to feel the effects of pollution, reports BBC Transport Correspondent Victoria Fritz.

As the warm air rises above the cooler ground-level air, it traps polluting particles and leads to an increase in the likelihood of smog.

Walkers in congested areas are advised to seek quieter routes for the benefit of their health.

Image source, Getty Images

As temperatures remain below freezing across the country, a think-tank argues that not enough money is being invested into making homes warmer.

The BBC's environment analyst, Roger Harrabin, reports on the story that public investment in energy efficient homes has fallen in England by 58% in the past five years.

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Stein Connolly, from Transport Scotland, told BBC Radio Scotland that there were a couple of places on the M80 and the M8 where vehicles were getting stuck.

You can read more on the BBC Scotland live page.

The community has helped a tiny rural school in County Durham stay open despite the snowy conditions.

Wearhead School is more than 330m (1,100ft) above sea level and has only closed once in the last 13 years due to the weather.

Image source, Durham County Council

A parent with a digger helped clear the way this morning to ensure it kept up its record.

Head teacher Karen Evans said: “Two teachers walked, one drove and two managed to get the bus down from Stanhope at the top of the dale, and one of our kind parents who has his own digger dug out our drive, entrance and yard.

“We said to parents if they could and were happy to make it to and from us, that it was safe to do so, and that they wouldn’t put themselves or children at risk, that we were open.

“Five children from the village walked, one came by car from St John’s Chapel and one from Westgate.”

Image source, Durham County Council

Image source, PA

• c2c: All lines are disrupted, external in some way with cancellations and delays although some services are running and others are diverted
• CrossCountry: Trains are not running southbound between Edinburgh and Newcastle , externaland no trains will travel further north or west of Edinburgh for the rest of the day

• Greater Anglia and Stansted Express: No trains between Broxbourne and Hertford East for the rest of the day. Services between Ipswich and Felixstowe/Lowestoft as well as Norwich and Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth/Sheringham are not likely to be running by the end of today. But Greater Anglia said it hopes to run a full normal peak service on Great Eastern and West Anglia services, external tonight and tomorrow - although disruption is possible
• London Overground: Severe delays between Stratford and Richmond, external while the stretch between Willesden Junction and Clapham Junction has minor delays. Minor delays are also affecting Euston to Watford Junction

• Merseyrail: After problems earlier, trains are running through Liverpool Central again with delays
• ScotRail: As the network most likely to be affected by the snow this evening, ScotRail told everyone to go home at around 13:00 GMT. It has now released details of its last trains., external There will be no services in the area covered by the Met Office red warning from 18:00 GMT today until late morning tomorrow
• Southeastern: Some rush hour trains have been changed, external including services between Charing Cross and Kent. Other services out of Victoria have been cancelled. Many of its routes are open but disrupted, external
• Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express: Some train services will run less frequently, external and anyone needing trains to London or Gatwick airport should change at Redhill
• South Western Railway: Morning peak services on Thursday and Friday will be altered, external

• TfL Rail: Trains are back to normal
• TransPennine Express: Services from Scotland to Manchester have been cancelled. , externalTrains cannot run between Carlisle and Edinburgh/Glasgow and there are no replacement buses. Trains between Leeds and York and Northallerton and Middlesbrough have also been hit with disruption
• Arriva Trains Wales: Services between Manchester and Wales will be severely disrupted until the end of the day, external. There's a limited train service between Shrewsbury and Crewe but services are suspended between Manchester airport and Chester. In north and west Wales, the majority of trains are suspended, external

• Virgin Trains: No trains will go north of Edinburgh from 18:00 GMT today. , externalPassengers who want to travel to or from Scotland are advised not to travel today or tomorrow. The route between Carlisle and Scotland will be closed, external until lunchtime tomorrow at least and there are no replacement buses

Police in Lincolnshire declare a "critical incident" as heavy snowfall continues to hit the county.

Snow has blanketed most of the North East but this commuter had a different way of getting about.