Met Office issue more cold weather warnings as deadly ice to cause carnage across Britain

On Thursday, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will each have at least one warning in effect.

The newest additions are a yellow snow and ice warning in Wales, an ice warning for much of the south west and south east of England, and a yellow snow and ice warning stretching from Cornwall to Plymouth.

Issuing the updated snow and ice alerts, the Met Office said: “Showers, mostly of rain and sleet at low levels and near coasts, but of snow inland and over higher ground, are expected to affect the area later Wednesday night and on Thursday morning.

“Additionally roads are wet and cold across Cornwall following earlier rain and snow. With many surfaces falling below freezing, this will lead to some icy stretches on untreated surfaces, while a few cm of fresh snow could affect some areas, mainly places above about 100 metres.”

The Met Office warned that areas covered by the ice alert in the south could become “hazardous” due to “untreated surfaces”.

The bone-chilling snap shows no signs of relenting, as on Thursday, the mercury will plummet in many rural regions to figures below -10C.

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Deputy Chief Forecaster, Chris Almond, said: “Thursday will see another cold night, with potentially the lowest temperatures of the Winter so far, -15C or so is possible in locations with lying snow in Scotland or northern England.

“In the early hours of Friday, a front arriving from the west will encounter the cold air in place over the UK. This could bring further sleet or snowfall for some regions in the south and west, as well as a risk of ice for a time as it moves north-eastwards into central parts, but the extent of this is still uncertain.”

Parts of North Yorkshire and the Lake District are forecast to see the lowest temperatures, with a mercury of -16C expected on Thursday night - the coldest figure recorded so far this winter.

This will overtake Monday's winter low of -13.3C at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.

The UK Health Security Agency has imposed an amber cold health alert for England until Sunday, warning of “significant impacts across health and social care services”.

The Met Office has warned of travel disruption caused by the snow and said some vehicles and passengers could become stranded.

Power cuts are likely, the national weather service said, and delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are also expected.

Hundreds of schools across the UK have been forced to close, with more than 170 shuttered in Bradford alone and over a dozen in Lancashire.

Major airports including Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon have suspended flights due to the severe weather conditions.