Icy roads warning as Britain prepares for more disruption

The coldest place in the UK was Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire on Thursday - where temperatures fell to -11C, according to weather company Meteogroup.

It comes as a yellow warning of ice remained in place across most of the UK from the Met Office.

It warned icy stretches are likely on Friday evening, overnight and into Saturday morning.

Up to 40 flights have been cancelled at Manchester Airport today, with passengers advised to check with airlines for delays.

It comes after the airport attempts to return to normal service after heavy snow led it to temporary suspend flights on Thursday.

Manchester Airport said the majority of cancelled flights today were on domestic routes such as London Heathrow and Aberdeen.

Britons are preparing for fresh disruption today as more snow and ice hits the country.

Forecasters have warned that ice poses a major hazard today, with the threat of more snow storms still looming.

Helen Roberts, a forecaster at the Met Office, said she is expecting transport problems with ice the "main hazard".

The Highways Agency said its gritters will be out overnight to prepare against icy roads.

It comes after "thundersnow" storms hit Britain yesterday, forcing schools to close and suspending flights at Manchester and East Midlands Airports.

An energy firm has apologised to customers who received automated phone calls in the middle of the night to warn them bad weather was on the way.

Electricity North West scheduled the calls to people on its 'priority services register' yesterday afternoon, but a technical fault meant some were not received until the early hours of today.

A spokeswoman for Electricity North West said:

The snow has created some picturesque scenes across northern England today - as well as creating difficult conditions for anyone taking to the roads.

These helicopter aerials between Leeds and Manchester show villages and fields transformed, and those making the best of a day off school.

Severe weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for almost every part of the UK, with forecasters predicting a week of snow and ice as a cold snap continues to grip the country.

The Met Office has issued the yellow 'be aware' alerts for the rest of today, covering Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as most of England and Wales, with only coastal areas of Wales and the south-west of England escaping.

Up to 15cm of snow - around six inches - is predicted to fall in some highland areas tonight, with some "thundersnow" storms expected in the north.

Yellow warnings of snow are also in force for large swathes of the country over the coming week.