NATIONAL: Britain's coldest night of the year

Clear skies overnight saw temperatures plummet with the coldest temperature recorded at -13 degrees in Shropshire.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place until 11am on Tuesday, covering large parts of the country, including London and the South East, much of the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as the eastern coast of England and parts of Scotland.

Dozens of schools in the South West, West Midlands and Wales will keep their gates closed for a second day following the bitterly cold conditions and in other parts of the country thousands of homes were left without power.

Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell told the Press Association: ‘It’s still possible that it could go lower.’

He added that there was the potential for a “dusting” of snow on higher levels over coming days, and that there was a risk of problems caused by rain falling in already icy areas.

Craig added:‘It will take a good few days for the snow to melt away.’