‘Beast from the East’ extends its icy grasp

The so-called ‘Beast from the East’ had much of the UK in its icy grasp this morning as overnight temperatures plummeted to minus 12 in some places. Large swathes of the country were affected by the snow, but it was the north that bore the brunt.

The Met Office has issued a red weather warning of “risk to life” in Scotland’s most-populated central belt. That’s due to last until 10am tomorrow.

Elsewhere, hundreds of schools have been closed and public transport is widely affected, with police telling motorists to stay at home as they deal with crashes on many major routes. Forecasters predict the snow and freezing temperatures will not be letting up any time soon, prompting the Met Office to extend some of its weather warnings.

An amber warning for much of the north of England is in place until 6pm tonight.