Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures have led to multiple deaths and disrupted travel in countries across Europe.

At least 10 people have died of the cold in Poland in recent days, officials said, with temperatures plummeting below minus 20C on Saturday.

In Belgium a man died after his lorry slid off a highway, while the deaths of half a dozen homeless people in Italy have been blamed on freezing conditions.

Planes have been grounded and ferry services disrupted in several places across the continent.

Heavy snow in Istanbul forced Turkish Airlines to cancel more than 650 flights. The Bosphorus Strait was also closed and ferries stopped completely, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Parts of southern Italy were reportedly buried beneath a metre of snow and in Rome the fountains in St Peter's Square froze overnight.

It has also been the coldest Orthodox Christmas in Russia for 120 years, with thermometers reading minus 30C overnight in Moscow, and minus 24C in St Petersburg.

In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man works in the snow in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man jogs past the partially frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A jogger runs through the snow under the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A man walks through the snow close to the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Temperatures drop as night time falls and snow blankets moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Temperatures drop, as night time falls, and snow enhances the complex pattern of fields on the moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A van waits to be recovered after sliding into a ditch on an icy road in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Farmers on the Richmondshire and Cumbria border take feed for the sheep on the Pennine tops with the A66 trans Pennine route in the background as snow falls across many parts of the UK PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK A tractor with a snow plough parked outside the Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, North Yorkshire as snow falls in the Pennines PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Cars make their way through the snow on the A1 northbound in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, as the UK braced for a new wave of bad weather after forecasters issued warnings of heavy snow in parts of England and Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snowfalls over high ground of the Pennines at Tan Hill PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Sue and Chris Betts take their dog for a walk in the snow near Beamish, Tyne and Wear after heavy snow in the area PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Clyde Wind Farm near Abington in Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Sheep near Abington in Scotland PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow in Abington in Scotland as the cold weather hits parts of the UK PA In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images

In Greece's second-largest city, Thessaloniki, temperatures fell to minus 7C, and in Athens they reached 0C. Several Greek islands, including Lesbos, experienced heavy snowfall.

In the former Olympic ski resort of Sarajevo, in Bosnia, many skiers stayed away from the slopes as temperatures dipped to minus 27C, Sky News reported.

In Switzerland, the lowest temperature in western Europe was recorded in the village of La Brevine, which reached minus 29.9C on Friday.

The village also holds the record for the coldest-ever recorded temperature in Switzerland, of minus 41.8C on 12 January, 1987.