Britain freezes to a halt as temperatures plunge to -12C sparking travel chaos and school closures

Read the latest LIVE: More than 500 schools closed across UK

The UK's overnight temperatures plunged to -12.5C at Marham in Norfolk; while London, Birmingham, Bournemouth and Southampton all fell to -8C.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for snow for large parts of north-east and northern Scotland from 11am until 7pm on Tuesday, with forecasters warning of 5-10cm of snow widely, and up to 15cm in places.

A yellow warning of snow and ice is in place as far south as Perth until midnight on Tuesday.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning of snow and ice from the central belt south down beyond the border, until 11am on Tuesday.

Read more: Britain's big freeze begins: Fresh weather warnings in place as lows of -12C possible across UK

Schools in Shetland, Orkney and Aberdeenshire will remain shut on Tuesday after pupils enjoyed an extra day of holiday on Monday following the festive break due to the weather.

Pupils in England awaited an update on openings today after dozens of schools shut yesterday in Cheshire, Lancashire, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Lincoln and Norfolk.

Snowy conditions disrupted road, air and rail travel on Monday with some train lines shut after heavy snow drifted on to the tracks.

National Rail said that train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day on Tuesday, although ScotRail said services on the route between Aberdeen and Dundee would run in the morning.

The areas covered by the Met Office amber warning include parts of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Angus and Perth and Kinross.

It states: “A spell of heavy snow is expected to move east across central and northern Scotland during Tuesday, clearing to wintry showers during Tuesday night.

“A further 5-10cm is expected widely with 15cm in places, particularly above 200 metres.”

On Monday Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports, and a number of flights to and from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland were cancelled, as were several departures from Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.

In the yellow alert area, forecasters predict that 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely, with the possibility of a further 10-15cm in some areas.

From the central belt south forecasters predict an area of “mainly light snow” with most places likely to have no more than 1-2cm.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: “The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas.

“Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.”

Ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Monday to discuss recovery efforts and to prepare for further snow and ice warnings.

After the meeting, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said snow across northern Scotland has had a “significant” impact, and that a “huge effort” was going into keeping transport moving and public services open.

“At present, there is still some travel disruption but trunk roads are open and rail, ferry and air services are working to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Likewise, many schools are closed today but remote learning is in place for young people while contingency plans are in place for affected health and social care services.

“There will be further snow and ice, with yellow warnings in large parts of Scotland and temperatures set to remain cold, so impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days which could include transport problems and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the range of weather and travel advice available.”

Mr Swinney also paid tribute to the “truly exceptional” efforts of farmers, volunteers and members of the public in helping clear roads, dig out cars and keep people safe, which he said showed “heartening” community spirit.

He added that ministers will continue to keep the situation “under review”.