UK weather latest updates: RAF mobilised to help hospitals and vulnerable people amid freezing conditions as gas shortage warning issued
Britain faces another day of sub-zero temperatures, icy blasts and blizzard-like conditions
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Hundreds of drivers spent the night in their cars amid bitterly cold temperatures after becoming stranded on roads as heavy snow continues to cripple the UK's transport system.
Schools around the country were to be closed on Thursday as Britain braced for another day of sub-zero temperatures, icy blasts and "blizzard-like" conditions.
Many roads have been left impassable by drifts of snow, while trains and flights have also been hit by delays and cancellations as Storm Emma rolls in from the Atlantic and meets the chilly Siberian air of the so-called "Beast from the East".
Follow for live updates as the country faces another day of disruption.
Temperatures plunged to lows of -6C overnight, and the Met Office warned it could feel as cold as -11C during the day as winds continue to strengthen.
The AA said it had responded to calls from more than 100 drivers stuck in snow by 8.30am today. Motorists in East Anglia and the North East are the worst-affected.
AA president Edmund King compared driving on many "atrocious" UK roads to skating on ice rinks and said the motoring organisation had added extra patrols and 4x4s to cope with the severe conditions.
He added: "The weather is expected to get worse in many areas before it gets better, so to those debating whether or not to risk the roads, bear in mind that being able to reach your destination this morning doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to get home again later."
A stranded car in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
The National Grid, which issued a gas deficit warning this morning, says it faces as shortfall of about 50 million cubic metres.
It is preparing to buy in more gas if necessary.
It said in a statement: "National gas demand today is high and due to the extreme weather conditions, there have been gas supply losses overnight.
"At 5.45am this morning we issued a 'Gas Deficit Warning' to the market.
"This is an indication to the market that we'd like more gas to be made available to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the national gas network.
"We are in communication with industry partners and are closely monitoring the situation."
Military deployed to Lincolnshire
Armed forces have been called in by Lincolnshire Police after officers and volunteers became "overrun" with requests for help.
The force said "most roads" had become impassable and its control room received reports of some remote villages being "totally cut off under 2ft of snow".
“At about lunchtime yesterday, we realised we were overrun with requests from the 82 volunteers that we had out. At that point, we made the request to central government for military assistance,” said Lincolnshire’s Deputy Chief Constable, Craig Naylor.
He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Thankfully, our military as usual have come to our aid. So we have military officers and troops on the ground with four-wheel-drive vehicles assisting our volunteers again today.”
The A52 was closed between Boston and Skegness all night, with not even a snowplough able to get through, the fire service said.
Drivers stranded on motorway for 14 hours
Motorists remain stranded on the M80 in Scotland after spending the night in their cars on the motorway.
Hundreds of drivers were trapped overnight by snow drifts as temperatures plunged to -6C.
The highest level of weather warning, a red alert, was in place across a central belt of the country until 10am today.
Police have been handing over bottled water and food to drivers and passengers stranded on the motorway as work continues to free them.
Some said they had been stuck for 14 hours while others abandoned their vehicles.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said there was "extensive operation" taking place to try to get traffic on the M80 motorway - which links Glasgow and Stirling - moving again.
Further snowfall and jacknifed lorries were among the significant challenges facing emergency services.
Emergency responders and volunteer agencies, including mountain rescue teams, have been checking on stranded drivers, with some good samaritans also handing out food.
Mr Swinney told BBC Radio Scotland the country was experiencing "the most significant snow incident we've had since 2010".
He described the M80 as a "particular pinch point" after traffic ground to a halt.
He added: "The M80 has presented much more significant challenges to us overnight and there has been a very strong operation to try to gain traction over the course of the night.
"Although many people were stuck for a long time we did get the road moving quite significantly, but there are people who have been stuck there for a long time.
"That's a combination of the intensity of the snow, but also the fact that we have had quite a number of jack-knifed lorries on that particular stretch of the road and the minute that happens the road gets blocked and nobody can get through."
He said the "overwhelming majority" of Scots had heeded warnings to stay at home.
RAF shuttling staff to hospitals
Britain's air force is helping to transport healthcare staff to work after heavy snowfall in Lincolnshire.
Ten RAF 4x4 vehicles and crews are carrying health workers to hospitals and on visits to vulnerable people.
They were deployed at 6am today after police requested help.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “The RAF is assisting in helping to transport health staff to hospitals and support health workers in visiting vulnerable people in the community in Lincolnshire following heavy snowfall.”
With many roads and paths in Lincoln treacherous with ice, this Deliveroo delivery worker appears to have responded by ditching his bike and switching to alternative mode of transport:
Emergency departments facing 'immense' challenges from severe weather
Hospitals are facing "immense problems" transporting patients to and from hospital, with staff also struggling to get to work, senior doctors have said.
Prolonged severe weather has piled an additional burden on emergency departments already stretched by persistently high hospital admissions due to flu and a renewed spike in norovirus.
NHS England said the health service was facing a "perfect storm" of challenges.
Dr Nick Scriven, president of the Society for Acute Medicine, said the severe weather is an "added burden on top of the recent 'usual' winter" and hospitals are likely to be forced to cancel routine procedures.
He added: "Today and the next few days will particularly stretch trusts, with staff struggling to get to work and ambulance trusts having immense problems getting patients to and from hospital.
"A lot of hospitals will cancel routine work over the next few days as a consequence of both of these. Overall NHS staff are pulling together and making immense efforts to keep people our hospitals safe."
The latest data shows more than 12,300 patients had to wait longer than 30 minutes to be seen after arriving at A&E units in ambulances last week, with more than 2,870 patients having to wait more than an hour, both down on the week before.
There were 13 cases of ambulances being diverted away from A&E departments last week, while the number of bed closures due to norovirus, or diarrhoea and vomiting, rose from an average of 841 beds to 949 beds closed per day.
An NHS England spokesman said: "Dedicated NHS staff continue to work hard in the face of a 'perfect storm' of appalling weather, persistently high flu hospitalisations and a renewed spike in norovirus.
"With the severe conditions expected to continue, we ask patients and their families to bear with us as we seek to minimise any disruption."
The A1 has been closed between Alnwick and Berwick while authorities clear snow from the road, Northumbria Police has said.
The force advised drivers to avoid travelling at all unless essential and turn back if possible if they have already set out.
Police said work to clear the road, a major route that spans more 400 miles from Edinburgh to London, would last about three hours.
"We cannot stress enough the dangers of travelling; the weather is causing a lot of difficulties for emergency services and partner organisations across our region," said police.
A picture tweeted by the force shows why the road is closed:
London Fire Brigade (LFB) has released footage of crews rescuing a dog that was trapped in a frozen pond.
The long-haired Pekinese fell through a thin sheet of ice into the frigid waters in Barnet, north London, this morning.
Two firefighters wearing dry suits fitted with heavy insulating materials entered the water to rescue the dog after her owner called 999.
Crews then warmed her up in a blanket before handing her back to her owner, took her to a vet as a precaution.
LFB has warned people to stay off frozen ponds, lakes and rivers after a man died falling into a lake in south-east London on Wednesday.
The man, in his 60s, was reportedly trying to save his stranded dog when he plunged into the icy waters at Danson Park, Welling.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Mills: "Please, for your own safety, stay off of any frozen pond, lake or canal as there is a high risk it wont take your weight and when it's cold, hypothermia sets in rapidly and can prove fatal.
"If your dog or any other animal ends up on the ice, stay put and call 999 so firefighters can rescue it, rather than taking risks yourself."
The National Grid issued a gas deficit warning earlier, signalling its reserves were running low amid increased demand. But how likely is it that we could run out of gas, and what exactly would that mean? The Independent's Science Editor Andrew Griffin explains:
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