UK weather: Crash after crash as drivers struggle in icy conditions - with motorists urged to take care

Motorists have been urged to take care on roads amid warnings of ice and treacherous conditions.

Footage shot in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, this morning shows a series of collisions involving cars, vans and buses as snow continued to fall.

In one crash, a car span sideways in the road and was struck by another. Then, a third vehicle failed to stop and crashed into both.

Later, a bus is seen spinning out of control before hitting a bollard on the side of the road.

There is travel disruption on the roads and rail across the UK as snow, ice and freezing fog alerts are in place in northern Scotland, Northern Ireland, northeast England, the Midlands, London and much of the South.

It was the coldest night of the year, with -15.7C (3.74F) recorded in Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

Weather latest -Travel chaos hits roads, rail, and airports after snowfall

National Highways is warning of "hazardous conditions" in the South East and east of England.

There were delays on the M25, which was earlier closed for 90 minutes between junctions 23 and 25 due to heavy snow, and some drivers were stuck for several hours.

National Highways said "up to 25 gritters" were treating the motorway overnight.

Other routes affected in the region include the M11, M2, A21, A27 and A249, while Sussex Police issued a warning for "treacherous" roads.

The AA told motorists in the South East and east of England to only travel "if they really need to".

Gatwick and Stansted were forced to temporarily close their runways to clear snow on Sunday evening, and passengers are being advised to check their flight before leaving for the airport.

'Do not travel'

On the trains, many operators warned services would be badly affected on Monday.

Southeastern tweeted that people should not travel, with some routes suspended until later and others disrupted.

Thameslink said materials needed for weekend engineering work had frozen, meaning it would take longer to complete and affect some services.

Great Northern said services were subject "to late notice delay or cancellation".

National Rail warned disruption to the southeast network was likely to continue after severe delays on Sunday night.

News UK, publisher of The Sun and The Times, said the weather had affected its printers in Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, meaning possible delivery delays in many parts of the country.

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Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said that although it's expected to remain cold through the week, cloud cover could prevent a return of some of the more extreme temperatures of recent days.

There is a possibility of slightly milder conditions next weekend but it's too early to be certain, she said.