Snow: Hundreds Trapped In Cars Overnight

Police are still assisting hundreds of motorists stuck in their cars across the county after heavy snowfall - with more on its way.

Ice warnings are in place for much of the country, and drivers in snow-hit areas have been urged to postpone journeys if possible.

The Met Office has issued an amber "be prepared" warning for parts of the south east and yellow warnings for Scotland, across the north and Midlands and down the east coast.

Temperatures are expected to stay below freezing in many areas for the next few days, with minimum temperatures as low as -7C.

Up to 10cm (4in) of snow is forecast to settle in the worst-affected areas, including Kent, Sussex and southern Hampshire, and over higher ground in areas like the Pennines, while large areas could see around up to 4cm (1.6in) accumulate.

Snow ploughs and gritters were stuck in the traffic. (Pic: Jonathan Lava)

Some of the roads where driving conditions are at their worst include the A46 in Nottinghamshire, the A14 in Suffolk and the A353 in Dorset.

Rail services are also expected to face delays, and Southern has warned of delays of up to an hour on all services.

Intense showers and possible snowfall are due across Suffolk, Essex and the London area, with gusty winds of up to 55mph.

Eastern and central parts of Scotland have also been hit by poor weather conditions, and a dusting of snow is expected in all other areas of the country.

Ice and snow has made roads across much of the South East impassable, with Dover and Folkstone among the worst affected.

A number of roads remain closed including the A27 at Worthing in West Sussex and the A259 at Beachy Head in East Sussex.

The A2 is closed coastbound at Barham, between Canterbury and Dover, due to drifting snow, while the M20 has been brought to standstill coastbound at Junction 11a after a coach hit the central reservation.

Popstars Toyah Willcox and Cheryl Baker were among those trapped

The Channel Tunnel has reopened after technical issues, with delays back to Junction 10 (Ashford) on the M20.

At the Port of Dover in Kent, cross-Channel ferry operations are operating "as far as possible", but passengers are being advised to allow extra time for their journeys amid possible road blockages on the A2 and A20.

Jersey Airport is closed all day due to snow, while travellers heading for Gatwick have been advised to allow extra time to reach the West Sussex airport due to snow-hit roads in the area.

Police in Sussex have attended more than 300 crashes in the past 24 hours across the county, where some motorists were trapped in their cars for up to 10 hours.

The British Red Cross sent emergency teams out to help those stranded in the freezing conditions overnight on the A23 with tailbacks stretching 30 miles.

A spokesman for the police force said it was stretched to "capacity" recovering abandoned vehicles and helping those stranded.

Poor road conditions have hampered much of the UK

Chief Inspector Phil Nicholas, from the force's roads policing unit, said: "Today is going to be about helping recover vehicles as many people fell asleep in their cars or abandoned them, so even when the roads did become clearer they were still blocked.

"Although the conditions have improved slightly, we are asking people to not make any journeys unless they are essential."

Cheryl Baker, the 1980s pop star with the Eurovision-winning group Bucks Fizz, is among those still stuck on the roads as she tries to make her way along the A23 to Brighton to her children.

South East Coast Ambulance Service has asked the public to only dial 999 in a genuine emergency with its staff having to be picked up in 4x4s where possible because they are struggling to get into work.

The continuing disruption follows a night of chaos on the roads, with snow ploughs and gritters struggling to get through to clear the roads after a number of vehicles jackknifed causing gridlock.

More picturesque snow scenes at Allendale in Northumberland

Temperatures plummeted to as low as -3C (27F), forcing many people to abandon their vehicles for service stations.

Abandoned cars had to be moved to allow the gritters, snow ploughs and emergency teams to pass.

The worst affected areas were the A23 between Crawley and Brighton and the M23 around Handcross Hill.

Toyah Willcox, another 1980s pop star was among those stranded on the A23 around 15 miles from Brighton.

She tweeted: "Still on A23, not moved yet northbound is moving freely. 6 hours! Come on snow isn't that bad."

A number of motorists questioned why gritters had failed to keep the roads clear despite clear forecasts of heavy snow.

The Highways Agency said extra gritters had been out on the roads since 6am on Monday preparing for the freezing weather.

A man walks his dog in Tynemouth

A spokesman said: "We've been working hard with our contractors and partners, including local authorities and the police, to keep the roads across the south east open.

"Our roads have been treated throughout the day; however some lorries have jackknifed causing closures at several locations and as a result our salt spreaders and recovery vehicles have become stuck in the traffic."

Forecasters believe Monday was the coldest March day in 27 years, since March 1, 1986. Saughall, in south Lanarkshire, reached -12C (10F).

Ladbrokes said they have been forced to slash the odds of snow reappearing across Easter weekend, March 29 to April 1.

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