Hundreds of schools across the UK have been shut as weather warnings remain in place with snow bringing disruption.
Amber weather warnings were in place for snow until 10am on Monday in parts of Scotland, forecasting “heavy snow” and travel disruption, while yellow warnings for snow and ice still cover parts of the UK.
A number of schools across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remained closed today after the Christmas holidays, while flights have been cancelled and some train lines are also affected.
In England, 30 schools remained closed following the Christmas break - 29 of them in Staffordshire and one in Devon.
Two other schools in Devon - Ashwater Primary School and Halwill Community Primary School - opened at the later time of 10am on Monday to allow people to travel safely due to icy conditions and the possibility of snow.
Snow forces school closures
Elsewhere, more than 200 schools in Northern Ireland, 167 in Scotland and 26 in Wales did not open on Monday, bringing the UK total to over 400.
According to the Met Office, Sennybridge in Powys has seen 19cm of snow, Castlederg in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland, has seen 9cm, and Bridlington in East Yorkshire has recorded 6cm.
The Met Office also forecasts that an area covering 240 miles of England and Wales could be covered by as much as 10.6 inches of snow on Friday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Friday.
The Met Office said the lowest temperatures recorded overnight were -10.9C in Shap, Cumbria, -10.3C in Sennybridge, Powys, and -9.9C in Bala, Gwynedd.
It also warned that people living in the regions covered by the amber weather warning could expect travel disruption, and that rural communities could become cut off.
Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: “The UK will continue to experience a range of winter weather hazards through this week, with low temperatures as well as snow showers and the risk of ice for many. A number of severe weather warnings have been issued and these are likely to be updated through the week, so do keep up to date with the forecast.”
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