UK weather - live updates: Britain hit by snow and ice as freezing temperatures forecast to plunge further

One of the coldest weeks of the year so far hits country

Met Office issues icy warning for the freezing start of February 2018

Snow will fall in almost every part of the UK over the coming days as forecasters warn to expect one of the coldest weeks of the year so far.

Weather warnings are in place for much of the UK as sleet, snow and rain are expected to sweep in.

Temperatures are a few degrees above freezing but may drop below -10C as the week continues.

The weather remains dry but very cold across most of the UK as the evening rush hour approaches, except in the northwest which may experience some rain. Snow is expected across much of the country overnight.

We have been bringing you live updates of UK weather warnings and travel conditions.

Today's live blog has now finished, but we will be resuming our live coverage tomorrow, as the severe weather continues.

Weather experts believe it will be one of the coldest weeks of the winter so far - and parts of the UK were blighted by sub-zero temperatures overnight.

Alex Burkill, meteorologist at the Met Office, said temperatures could hit “double negative” figures in parts of Scotland as the week, as one of the coldest week's of the year continues

Mr Burkill said we were in store for a "prolonged" cold spell, with low temperatures lingering for much of February.

“Cornwall and Devon are included in the warning and they don’t often get much snow. They could see some snow showers through Tuesday and Tuesday night," he said.

“We have got a few showers pushing in to eastern parts of the UK, in the southeast around Kent they are falling as a mix of rain sleet and snow.”

Weather warnings are in place for much of the country. Rain, sleet and snow are set to sweep the UK, with transport disruptions likely and ice patches potentially forming on roads and pavements that have not been gritted. Forecasters have advised people to leave extra time for journeys that may be affected.

Police in Kent urged drivers to be extra careful after they responded to collisions on the road after heavy snowfall.

Devon and Cornwall are included in weather warnings for snow.

Across the country, temperatures are likely to fall to between -3C and -6C during the day and be slightly higher during the day. Tuesday night is set to be especially cold.

Many woke up today to wintry showers, with warnings in place to watch out for ice on untreated roads, in the east and southeast of England.

The rest of Monday will stay mostly dry, forecasters say, but snowy showers are expected to move southeast through Tuesday night from Scotland and Northern Ireland, into northern England and Wales.

Frosty showers and are also set to hit the west of the country in the early hours of Wednesday.

Forecasters said we may see around one to three centimetres of snow in most affected places, but there could be as much as 10cm in parts of Northern Ireland.

Key Points

• Reports of snow in London 
• The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings as snow and ice set in
• Drivers have been warned to take extra care on the roads after a series of crashes on the M20

[5 February 2018 12:13 · Jon di Paolo]

  ↵   ↵ With cold weather setting in for the long run, older people's charity Age UK has urged everyone to take extra care of elderly friends, family and neighbours.

They offer plenty of advice on staying well in winter. This includes staying active, eating at least one hot meal a day and getting all the medications you need ready before it gets too cold or snowy.

They also recommend for those eligible to get a flu jab. More than 150 people have died from flu in the UK since October, figures show. 

[5 February 2018 12:57 · Jon di Paolo]

A further weather warning has been issued by the Met Office for eastern England, which will be in place between 3pm on Tuesday and 9.30am on Wednesday. The yellow warning says sleet and snow showers will hit the area overnight, leading to ice forming and possible travel disruptions. 

There is currently a severe weather warning of rain, sleet and snow in place, which is set to move from Scotland and Northern Ireland, into parts of England and Wales. It is in place until 3pm tomorrow. 

Further yellow warnings of similarly frosty conditions have been issued for much of the country for Tuesday and Wednesday.

[5 February 2018 13:12 · Jon di Paolo]

Temperatures are much colder than average for this time of year. Forecasters say it is usually around five degrees warmer than it is now. 

[5 February 2018 13:26 · Adam Withnall]

Heathrow Airport is suffering from severe delays and cancellations as planes struggle to take off on the icy runways. 

For the full details of which flights are still going ahead go to Heathrow's online departures board:

https://www.heathrow.com/departures

[5 February 2018 13:27 · Adam Withnall]

[5 February 2018 13:30 · Jon di Paolo]

Police in Blackpool are reminding drivers that stopping distances are 10 times longer during icy weather. 

[5 February 2018 13:45 · Jon di Paolo]

Snow could fall in most of the UK within the next 24 hours, forecasts suggest. So far, Greenwich in south east London has seen some of the biggest snowfall in the capital. 

[5 February 2018 13:50 · Adam Withnall]

Homeless charity Crisis has put out a message on Twitter pointing out that this cold weather could be deadly for the legions of rough sleepers forced to stay on the UK's streets. 

It urged people to go to the Homeless Link website which has a list of emergency shelters which open during cold weather. It also offered advice to anyone who sees a rough sleeper in need of help: 

[5 February 2018 14:09 · Jon di Paolo]

With snow set to fall in eastern England, the Met Office is urging people to take extra care on their journey home.

[5 February 2018 14:23 · Jon di Paolo]

Some stunning snow-covered scenes are emerging across the UK, such as these sheep braving the cold in a frosted Kent field.