Britons endured a dangerously icy commute this morning after more snow and rain was followed by another night of sub-zero temperatures ahead of a major storm.
The Met Office fears people will be injured from slips and falls on icy surfaces and issued a yellow ice warning for almost all of the UK which runs until 10am today.
Clear skies developed across the country overnight after a band of rain cleared to the South East – leaving icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
Commuters expressed frustration on social media over a lack of gritted pavements, roads and station platforms as they travelled to work in the treacherous conditions.
In Plymouth, a woman needed emergency treatment from Devon Air Ambulance after suffering a serious leg injury when she slipped on an icy pavement. She was given pain relief and South Western Ambulance Service took her to Derriford Hospital.
The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit tweeted a video of an officer slipping over on the ice, with the caption: ‘Icy conditions are a disaster waiting to happen. He won’t be applying for Dancing on ice anytime soon.’
An Arctic air mass has brought heavy snow to the UK in recent days, with the biggest accumulations in Aberdeenshire where a major incident has now been declared.
Snow also fallen across England including in London, while overnight temperatures have been below zero – with a low of -5.9C (21.4F) in the Highlands this morning.
A further 20cm (8in) of snow could fall on higher ground in northern Scotland today, where a 24-hour snow and ice warning has been imposed until midnight tonight.
A car drives through the snow as in Alford, Aberdeenshire, yesterday
Some 52cm (1ft 8in) of snow has already fallen at Tomintoul in Banffshire this week, while the temperature at Marham in Norfolk dropped to -12.5C (9.5F) yesterday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended amber cold health alerts for England until Sunday amid ongoing fears over a ‘rise in deaths’ due to the weather.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: ‘In the ice warnings, be careful of slippery surfaces and potential for injuries, so take care on footpaths.
‘Icy patches could affect untreated roads, not all roads and pavements and cycle paths are treated so just be aware that away from major highways there could be icy and slippery conditions for a while tomorrow morning.’
The Met Office has advised those travelling this morning to check road conditions, bus and train timetables and amend travel plans if necessary.
A yellow warning means some disruption is possible, such as travel delays, but many people can continue with their daily routine, according to the forecaster.
It comes before a yellow weather warning for snow, expected in a large part of England covering Sheffield, Peterborough, Bath and Worcester, and in much of Wales, will be in place from 6pm tomorrow until midday on Friday.
The severe wintry weather will be brought by the strong winds over northern France, named Storm Goretti by the country’s forecaster, Meteo France.
Snow is likely to develop over higher ground in south Wales late tomorrow, before rain turns to snow more widely across England and Wales overnight.
Some areas could see 5cm (2in) to 10cm (4in) of snow settle, while others could see as much as 20cm (8in).
Storm Goretti is also expected to bring disruption in South West England, with a yellow warning for strong winds in place for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly from 3pm tomorrow until just before midnight.
The recent drop in temperature has triggered cold weather payments for hundreds of thousands of households, designed to help elderly and vulnerable people with heating costs, the Government said.
Eligible households automatically receive £25 when temperatures are recorded or forecast to be zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days.
Payments will support households in 451 postcode areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including Penrith in Cumbria, the Yorkshire Dales, Norwich in Norfolk, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, and Crawley in West Sussex.
Cold weather payments have been triggered on five separate days, December 30, January 1, January 2, January 3 and January 6, and have been triggered twice for households in parts of Cumbria and Northumberland, which stand to receive a £50 payout.
Aberdeenshire Council has declared a major incident as the region deals with ongoing heavy snow.
The local authority says there is a ‘good chance’ some rural communities will be cut off and there may be power cuts. Schools in the area will be also closed for a third day today.
Rail operator LNER, which runs trains on the East Coast Mainline, has extended its advice to passengers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen as they ‘cannot guarantee’ trains will operate until this Friday at the earliest.
ScotRail said services between Inverness and Wick, Lairg and Ardgay were cancelled or disrupted yesterday, as were services between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh.
RAC breakdown spokesperson Alice Simpson said: ‘In these conditions, the key is allowing more time at every stage of the journey, whether that’s clearing vehicles of snow and ice before setting off or reducing the speed at which you’re travelling.
‘Never be tempted to use hot water to clear a frozen windscreen which, rather than being a hack could actually lead to an expensive crack.
‘Instead, leave more time before setting off and carry a decent scraper and de-icer so you can clear the windscreen quickly.
‘It’s important to have plenty of screen wash that protects down to at least minus 10 degrees, ensuring you always have a clear view due to all the dirt from gritted roads.’