Ice Alert: Temperatures Could Plunge To -10C

Drivers are being urged to watch out for icy conditions and freezing fog on the roads with temperatures forecast to drop to as low as -10C in parts of England overnight.

The cold conditions look set to stay until the weekend with sub-zero temperatures making travelling hazardous for drivers and adding to air and rail travel delays.

The Highways Agency have confirmed that gritters were sent out to treat and clear roads in eastern areas on Monday night and during the early hours of Tuesday.

The icy spell has seen daytime temperatures dipping four or five degrees lower than average for February, which is traditionally the coldest month of the year.

Church Fenton in North Yorkshire saw the biggest snowfall over the weekend, recording 16cm (6in).

The thick blanket of snow that fell over parts of the UK caused major travel disruption, with Heathrow Airport axing half of all flights on Sunday night.

The RAC has reported the busiest February weekend in its history, with 41% more calls than usual.

The worst-affected area was Devon and Cornwall which had twice the usual number of call-outs.

The South of England had 80% more breakdowns than usual and the West Midlands and Wales had 65% more.

A 25-mile (40km) long section of the A1 northbound was closed for a number of hours on Monday morning after a series of crashes between Allerton Park, near York, and the Catterick area.

:: More than 30 more deaths have been reported as a result of the bitterly freezing weather that has swept across Europe.