At least 2,700 schools closed, thousands of homes without power and dozens of flights cancelled after snow and high winds

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Snow and ice have continued to cause widespread disruptions across the UK, with dozens of rail services and flights cancelled and thousands of schools closed.

Temperatures are expected to fall as low as -15C on Monday night, having dropped to -12C in some places on Sunday, the coldest day for seven years.

The Met Office extended its yellow weather warnings for snow and ice to cover vast swaths of the country, including London and the south-east, much of the Midlands, Northern Ireland and Wales, as well as the eastern coast of England and northern and western Scotland.

Rail disruption included a temporary suspension of the Gatwick Express, delays on the Eurostar between London and the rest of Europe, and at least 20 cancellations to services in Scotland.

Up to 200 flights from Heathrow were expected to be cancelled, and passengers complained of waiting for hours for travel to be rescheduled.

By Monday afternoon at least seven flights had been cancelled at Edinburgh airport, while Manchester had 13 cancellations listed and Birminghamhad 15.

At least 2,700 schools were closed, including about 300 in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and south Cheshire, 200 in Shropshire, 200 in Gloucestershire and 344 in Coventry and Warwickshire. All council-run schools in Birmingham were closed.

In Wales, 71 schools were closed in Flintshire, 11 in Wrexham and 49 in Denbighshire. Many schools are expected to remain closed on Tuesday.

While children and teachers stayed at home, nurses at Birmingham’s Heartlands hospital walked for several hours through the snow from their homes to ensure they could work their shifts. Anthony Fearn, a West Midlands ambulance service paramedic, tweeted: “Did you know that some of the nurses at Heartlands hospital are so amazingly dedicated that they walked to work!”

Western Power Distribution said engineers worked through the night to restore power to 99,500 homes in the Midlands, south Wales and the south-west, but 7,000 customers were still without electricity on Monday, 6,500 of them in the West Midlands.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said it had restored power to 48,000 homes, but 800 remained without power in Oxford and Wiltshire. It said heavy snow and winds of up to 70mph caused damage to the network’s overhead power lines.

Highways England declared the main road and motorway network clear. Frank Bird, an emergency planning officer, told the BBC that staff worked 14-hour shifts over the weekend to keep the roads open.

Motorists were warned of havoc on the roads as snow turned to ice. The RAC said it was expecting 11,000 breakdowns on Monday, 20% above the seasonal norm.

“I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” said its road safety spokesman, Pete Williams. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.”

Quick guide Top tips for driving in snow and ice Show Hide Stay safe and plan ahead • Charge your mobile phone, fill a hot flask and make sure everyone is dressed for the weather - you may have to get out and walk. • Clear snow from the roof – it can fall on to the windscreen and block your view. Don't forget the lights. • To car thieves, frosty mornings are a Christmas gift. Don't leave the car unattended with the engine running. • Never use boiling water to clear the windscreen – it could crack the glass. • Pull away in second gear, easing your foot off the clutch gently to avoid wheel-spin. • Anticipation and smoothness are key. Apply brakes gently. Drive slowly – stopping distances are 10 times longer. • Stick to main roads, as they are more likely to have been gritted • Watch out for black ice. The road surface can look wet when it is actually frozen. • After the snow: salt used to de-ice roads can cause corrosion to your car over time. Wash it off. Source: AA, RAC and Green Flag Photograph: Arno Burgi/DPA

The TUC called on employers not to force staff to make hazardous journeys into work, saying firms should have issued advice to staff on what to do when snow, ice and a lack of public transport prevented them from getting to work.

The Environment Agency in the West Midlands said it would be using its 4x4s to help vulnerable people in areas affected by heavy snowfall. Dave Throup, the agency’s manager in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, tweeted that its staff and vehicles would be “available to help vulnerable people and allow patients to get to medical appointments”.