Drivers face being stranded as Arctic air bringing snow and ice threatens to cause travel disruption.

National Highways has issued a severe weather alert for snow affecting the northwest, with road users advised to plan ahead, and some rural communities warned they could be temporarily cut off.

Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said that temperatures will be about 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year.

A snow and ice warning is in place in northern areas of Scotland until midnight on Monday, January 15.

This will then spread across the whole of Scotland an into northern England on Tuesday. 

A snow warning will be in place from midnight on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday across Northern Ireland, northern and western Scotland, parts of northern England and Wales.

The Met Office has also issued a warning for snow and ice in parts of East Anglia, including Norwich, which runs from 7am on Monday until midnight.

Mr Eslick said: “Especially towards the North where we do have these warnings, we’re likely to see some travel disruption.

“So we would recommend people stick to the main roads and avoid country lanes where possible.

“These are the places that aren’t going to see any gritting or any road clearances for the next couple of days.

“So we recommend people take their time, make sure they have time to do their cars in the mornings, and go steady.”

He said: “So essentially we’re looking at a strong northerly wind which is bringing in Arctic airmass which is cold, which is bringing in these wintry showers.”

He said that “icy conditions” were expected, with maximum temperatures of 0C in parts of Scotland, and only 2C to 4C in southern parts of the UK.

The Met Office has predicted power cuts, travel delays, and “injuries” as temperatures plummet across the country.