‘Conditions will stay cold on Friday but a change in weather type is on the way, bringing milder air for the UK during the course of the weekend.’

‘Met Office warnings highlight the ongoing likelihood of travel disruption, the possibility of power cuts and the chance that some rural communities will be cut off. ‘

Snow and ice will continue to batter Britain over the next few days, with the forecaster issuing an urgent amber alert.

‘Ice will be an additional hazard across the highlighted region.’

People in some UK towns and cities – including Liverpool – have woken up to a thick layer of snow this morning and temperatures plunged to an icy -3C.

‘Throughout the week we are going to see more and more snow showers and warnings, towards the end of the week we will probably see an accumulation.’