UK weather - as it happened: Met Office issues red severe weather warning amid travel disruption as heavy snow hits Britain
Hundreds of schools closed as conditions set to worsen
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Your support makes all the difference.Severe weather caused major travel disruption across the UK and Ireland on Wednesday as the “Beast from the East” tightened its grip.
Road closures, stranded vehicles and cancellations were widespread due to snow and ice.
Services on trains and planes were disrupted, with travellers urged to check with their transport provider before setting off on journeys.
Rail passengers were warned to avoid travelling to or from Scotland for all of Wednesday and into Thursday.
Meanwhile, hundreds of schools across Britain were closed for a second day.
Forecasters predicted the snow and freezing temperatures would not let up any time soon, prompting the Met Office to extend some of its weather warnings.
Rail companies warned delays may continue into Friday.
British Airways said the weather was likely to continue disrupting flights throughout the week.
From Thursday, forecasters predict that another weather system, Storm Emma, will bring blizzards, gales and sleet.
Follow along for live updates
The storm, named by the Portuguese Met Service, was expected to move north through Europe and was due to hit the UK on Thursday and Friday.
Additional reporting by agencies
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder has written about the diversions, delays and disruptions to air travel caused by the harsh weather.
The RAC faced its busiest day in 10 years yesterday with around 9,500 breakdowns.
There was a more than 30 per cent increase compared with the normal number of call outs and today is set to be even busier, a spokesman said.
Pete Williams said: "With a red weather warning now in place for parts of Scotland until tomorrow morning - some areas could receive more than a foot of snow, and some communities may even get cut off - the simple advice to drivers here is not to travel."
He added: "For drivers, the first consideration is whether your journey is really essential or whether you are able to avoid travelling during the worst conditions."
Lightning could be added to the list of hazards afflicting the UK, Simon Calder writes.
Here are some of the latest reported issues on Britain's roads:
Police closed large sections of major routes as several roads were left impassable following heavy snowfall.
The worst areas are Kent, East Anglia and north-east England, but problems are spreading.
Drivers are being advised to avoid unnecessary journeys and stick to major routes where possible if they must travel.
The RAC had its busiest day in 10 years on Tuesday with 9,500 call-outs, but believes this figure could be topped on Wednesday as conditions worsen.
The breakdown rescue firm's road safety spokesman, Pete Williams, said: "For drivers, the first consideration is whether your journey is really essential or whether you are able to avoid travelling during the worst conditions.
"If you must drive, do your preparations - check local weather and traffic reports, plan your route carefully using main roads where possible and consider alternative routes in case you encounter difficulties."
In Yorkshire, the A61 was shut between Harrogate and Skipton due to the conditions, while further north, in Durham, the A66 was closed between the A1M and A685.
The A1 in Durham was also closed between Scotch Corner and Catterick after a lorry jackknifed.
Highways England said the A1 in Cambridgeshire had to be shut due to severe weather, between the A1M and A6121 at Tinwell.
A number of lorries jackknifed and vehicles were caught in queues for more than three hours.
In Norfolk, police also reported roads being blocked due to lorries and cars becoming stuck in the snow, including the A11 southbound at Wymondham and the A143 at Haddiscoe.
Glasgow airport has announced the suspension of inbound and outbound flights for the rest of the day due to the weather.
In a statement released after passengers reported delays and cancellations, the airport said: "Due to continued severe weather conditions and the large number of flights which airlines have had to cancel, there will be no further flights to or from Glasgow Airport for the remainder of the day.
"Further heavy snowfall is forecast and we will provide updates regarding tomorrow's scheduled services later this evening.
"We would advise passengers not to travel to the airport and anyone with travel plans should contact their airline directly for specific flight information. "
National Rail has warned customers in the area of Scotland covered by a red weather warning they should head home immediately.
"There will be no train services in the red weather warning area tonight, or first thing tomorrow morning," the company said on Twitter.
Almost all train operators have been affected by the adverse weather today.
The West Coast Main Line is closed between Carlisle and Scotland with no trains or replacement buses.
Alternative rail routes between England and Scotland are also severely disrupted.
All Caledonian Sleeper services between London and Scotland due to depart on Wednesday night were cancelled.
ScotRail urged commuters in the red warning area to head home as services will wind down on Wednesday afternoon.
Virgin Trains East Coast lifted its ticket restrictions for services on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
There were cancellations on the Medway Valley Line after train crew were unable to get to depots because of the heavy snow.
A snow clearing vehicle broke down and blocked the Ashford-bound line at Wye, while there was major disruption on metro routes between Dartford and London via Woolwich, Bexleyheath and Sidcup because of signalling faults caused by the weather.
Delays and cancellations on the c2c line from south Essex into London Fenchurch Street were worsened by freezing doors which prevented some passengers getting on and off trains.
Passengers were advised to check with operators before travelling.
There were also cancellations of flights across the country.
At Heathrow, British Airways axed at least 103 services on mostly short haul routes.
London City Airport saw at least 98 flights cancelled. An additional six inbound flights were diverted or returned to their departure airports.
BA's business class only service from New York to London City was forced to land at Gatwick, West Sussex, while the carrier's flight from Frankfurt ended up touching down in Birmingham, 110 miles away.
All flights due to land at Leeds Bradford Airport before 4.30pm were either cancelled or diverted, and many departures were also unable to operate.
Shortly before noon Ryanair suspended all flights to and from Dublin Airport for the rest of Wednesday as a result of the snow which swept into Ireland overnight.
Glasgow Airport closed its runway from around 7am until 1pm.
Gatwick Airport said flights were arriving and departing, but some flights were disrupted.
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