UK weather: Snow warnings across Britain as travellers told to expect disruption

Snow and ice warnings are in place across the UK for today.

Vehicles could get stranded and trains and planes could face delays and cancellations, the Met Office has warned.

In addition high winds could affect power supply across the country.

Cyclists are also being told to look out for thick sheets of ice left untreated on roads, pavements and paths.

A band of rain will move in from the Atlantic on Tuesday, which will collide with icy air over the UK and result in flurries of snow.

Snow will start falling in the afternoon and will reach the South East and London in the evening, with the Met Office issuing yellow weather warnings for much of England.

Around 1cm (0.4 in) to 3cm (1.2in) of snow is expected to accumulate "quite widely", the Met Office said, with the possibility of 5cm (1.9in) to 10cm (3.9in) falling on higher ground.

Heavy snow is also expected over Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and North Wales.

And it will not be the only time Britain will see snow this week, with more on the way on Thursday night, forecasters say.

Met Office forecaster Ellie Creed said: "It's a case of normal wintry hazards that we would expect - snow, ice, frost are going to be quite prevalent over the next few days."

On Monday morning, ice and snow made driving conditions hazardous across the northeast of Scotland.

The Met Office said subzero temperatures across the country are expected, with readings expected to be as low as -7C (19.4F) in rural areas of Scotland.

In northern England, temperatures could plummet to around -3C (26.6F), with some areas in the south "hovering around zero".

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "A frontal system linked to storm Gabriel, recently named by the French Met Office, is set to bring a band of prolonged precipitation across Northern Ireland early on Tuesday and then southeastwards over England, Wales and southern Scotland through the following 24 hours.

"Snow will initially fall over hills but is likely to fall to lower levels through Tuesday afternoon and evening.

"We are expecting a covering of a few centimetres of snow at low levels but around 10cm (3.9in) over hills."

Sky News weather presenter Kirsty McCabe added that even a small amount of snow or ice "could lead to travel disruption" with the coming days expected to be unsettled "with a messy mix of rain, snow and ice."

It follows a windy weekend that left parts of Wales without electricity on Sunday as overhead cables were brought down.

Strong northerly winds with gusts of up to 70mph also hit the west and east coasts.