Snow reduces the M5 motorway down to two lanes between junction 14 and 15 in South Gloucestershire on Wednesday

Dangerous conditions on the roads have caused disruption, cancellations and delays as winter tightened its grip on the UK.

Police and breakdown services warned of black ice patches and urged motorists to drive carefully. The AA said it can take up to 10 times longer to stop on icy roads.

The Met Office issued yellow warnings of ice for large parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland after snow brought major disruption and power outages to swathes of the UK on Wednesday.

The RAC said ice caused an "incredibly busy" morning, and as a result of the conditions dealt with a number of battery failures, minor bumps and shunts, and skidding.

Meanwhile the AA described the country's roads on Thursday as "appalling" due to the "dicey icy roads".

Forecasters now believe the country is headed for its coldest night of the year year.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Stansted airport on Wednesday and fliers may experience fresh delays because planes will need de-icing, with London Luton urging passengers to check with their airlines before travelling.

The Met Office said temperatures fell to as low as -4.5C in Katesbridge, Co Down, in the early hours of Thursday while most parts of the UK hovered around 0C.

Two yellow warnings for ice covering parts of the country were in place until 11am, with road users being warned of treacherous conditions on untreated surfaces.

Sub-zero temperatures are expected widely across the UK again on Thursday night, with the mercury expected to plunge as low as minus 10C (12F) in parts of Scotland and Wales.

A yellow warning of snow has been issued for the East Midlands, the north of England down to the Humber and southern Scotland from 3am on Friday until midday.

A band of occasionally heavy rain is due to move eastwards across the UK that will turn to snow as it meets cold air, with up to 5cm expected.