Uk weather
Motorists warned of havoc on roads as snow and ice grip UK Getty

KEY POINTS

  • Snow and ice warnings issued across UK.
  • Met Office warns of 'coldest week of winter' with big freeze across most of country.
  • Kent Police describe treacherous conditions on roads.

Weather warnings have been put in place for snow and ice across the UK as the freezing temperatures and treacherous conditions look set to continue.

The Met Office has already warned that the UK faces one of the coldest weeks of the winter with temperatures plummeting to as low as -7C in some areas.

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Most of Britain will experience sub-zero temperatures throughout the week. The cold snap is expected to continue until at least the weekend.

Snow and sleet have already caused travel chaos and Kent Police have reminded drivers to take extra care on the roads after heavy snowfall resulted in several accidents on the M20 this morning (5 February).

In a tweet, the force said: "Heavy snowfall m20 9-7 and now all over a lot of the network a228 / A229 etc. Be aware. Extra time. Allow space, watch for changing road conditions. If you get stuck stay with your car, leave engine running. If you are able, low gear, low revs, keep moving."

A yellow warning was in place earlier today for London and the south-east of England as a band of snow showers continued to sweep the area.

Warnings have been issued for Tuesday for the western coasts of England, Scotland the most of Northern Ireland.

Forecasters expect 1-3cm of snow away from the coasts and up to 10cm on land above 200 metres.

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "Following a band of rain, sleet and snow, clearing south-eastwards, rain, sleet and snow showers are likely to increasingly affect western parts of the UK. Snow showers are likely to be frequent in western Scotland and Northern Ireland, where hail and thunder are also possible.

"These will gradually fade overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, with icy stretches developing as skies clear, particularly where early snow has melted and then refrozen overnight.

"As is usually the case with showers, not everywhere within the warning area will see them, and along immediate coastal fringes exposed to the northwest, they may fall predominantly as rain."