UK weather: Schools close as Arctic blast brings snow and ice

Schools have been closed and travellers are facing disruption following snowfall across parts of the UK.

Weather conditions led to more than 100 school closures in Scotland and dozens in Merseyside.

Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place for Scotland, much of northern England and north Wales throughout Tuesday

The UK is braced for sub-zero temperatures until the weekend with further snow warnings in place.

Scotland is expected to see the worst of the weather, with up to 10cm (almost four inches) of snow falling on higher ground. Elsewhere in Scotland, there has been about 1-5cm of snowfall so far.

In Northern Ireland, a warning for ice has been issued from 17:00 GMT on Tuesday into Wednesday.

Forecasters are predicting Wednesday will potentially be the coldest night of the winter so far, with temperatures widely falling to -5C and potential lows of -10C.

Snow-covered rooftops of houses in Northwich, Cheshire

Snow swept across Lochcarron in the Highlands, where dozens of schools have been closed

All schools in Shetland were closed on Tuesday, with more than 50 shut in the Highlands and some sites in Aberdeenshire also affected, though some schools there have reopened.

Transport Scotland said gritters had been working throughout the night, keeping roads clear. It said "well-established plans" had helped to help minimise disruption.

Northern and eastern parts of Scotland saw the "bulk of the snow" on Monday, with 15cm on the ground at Aberdeen Airport.

South of the border, Liverpool Council said conditions were having a "widespread impact" on Tuesday, with staff deployed to clear snow around schools, hospitals and transport hubs.

In a letter to the Labour-run council, Liberal Democrat councillors claimed the snow had caused "chaos" locally - with roads and paths becoming "ice rinks" and public transport disrupted.

The local authority tweeted that major routes had been treated, after some residents questioned whether gritters had been deployed.

Meanwhile, roads were closed in Belthorn, Lancashire, following a crash, with police warning of "very dangerous" driving conditions.

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National Highways issued a severe weather alert for the north-west of England, warning freezing temperatures and snow were expected to make roads dangerous from early on Tuesday morning and throughout the day.

Merseyside Police said they dealt with a number of incidents on the roads on Tuesday morning due to snow. Lancashire police also warned about the conditions, following a number of road traffic collisions.

On the trains, National Rail has warned there could be disruption across the network throughout the week.

The cold weather has also affected Tuesday's football schedule with National League matches at Oldham, Halifax, Southend, Woking and York called off, as well as Mansfield versus Forest Green Rovers in League Two.

Bolton Wanderers said their FA Cup tie against Luton Town was still expected to go ahead after staff cleared the pitch of snow.

Ice warning

The Met Office has said temperatures so far this week are around 5-6C lower than usual for the time of year.

A yellow warning for Northern Ireland from 17:00 on Tuesday is warning of ice forming on untreated surfaces, leading to the potential for slips and falls.

Meanwhile, the earlier yellow warning for snow and ice remains in place throughout the day for Scotland, parts of north Wales and Northumberland, as well those parts of northern England west of the Pennines, particularly Cumbria.

Aberdeenshire was one of the first places to see snow this week as the Arctic blast took hold

Looking ahead, widespread frost is expected on Wednesday, with temperatures falling as low as -10C. The lowest temperature so far this winter was -12.5C in early December.

Further Met Office warnings for snow and ice are in place for most of Scotland, north-west and north-east England and west Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber cold weather warning for the whole of England, meaning it expects the NHS to see increased demand, particularly from - but not limited to - older and vulnerable people.

A man walks his dog in Oxton, in Birkenhead

The cold spell has resulted in automatic £25 payments for households in receipt of certain benefits being triggered in more than 220 postcodes where temperatures are expected to be below zero for a full week.

The assistance with heating costs for eligible households also applies in some parts of Wales and northern and eastern England.

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, BBC Weather forecaster Ben Rich said: "An area of low pressure will move across France on Wednesday and may graze the south of England. It looks most likely that any amounts of snow here will be small and confined to coastal counties.

"However, computer models have struggled with this aspect of the forecast, so it's worth keeping up to date as we firm up on the details.

"Milder weather - along with some wind and rain - is expected to sweep across the UK over the weekend bringing the cold spell to an end."

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