Heavy snow caused severe disruption on the M8 which links Glasgow and Edinburgh Drivers stuck in snow overnight
Heavy snow caused severe disruption on the M8 which links Glasgow and Edinburgh Hundreds of drivers were stranded overnight after more snow and ice brought further chaos to the UK.
Scotland saw the worst of the havoc, with scores of cars stuck in deep snow across the country’s central belt.
About 150 pupils, parents and staff spent the night in a South Lanarkshire school after the terrible weather conditions stopped them getting home.
The Met Office has heavy snow warnings for Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian and North West England.
There are warnings of widespread icy roads for the rest of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and London and South East England.
Many motorists have been stuck overnight on the M8 after after heavy snow caused severe disruption to the route which links Glasgow with Edinburgh.
Traffic was also brought to a standstill on the M80 which runs through central Scotland.
Drivers were advised to stay with their vehicles. Some said they were frustrated by a lack of information.
One told the BBC: “I’d really like it if someone told us if we were moving or not. If we were told we’re not moving, we could actually get some sleep.
“People are saying ‘should we stay in our cars or shouldn’t we? Should we keep the engine running? What if we run out of petrol?'”
Another said: “I actually found out the road was closed when I was on the road. You know, it wasn’t a great help. I knew it wouldn’t be easy but I never thought it would be this bad.”
WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO
Get the latest on travel problems via your local website Check if snow is forecast in your area at BBC Weather Details of motorway and local road closures and public transport disruption are available at BBC Travel News For advice on handling difficult driving conditions, see the Highways Agency website For information about severe weather warnings, see the Met Office website For information about staying healthy in the cold weather, see the NHS Winter Health website
However, Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson described his government’s handling of the major travel disruption as a “first class response”.
Mr Stevenson blamed inaccurate weather forecasts for the problems.
“The police, the hospital services, our road operating companies, have all been pulling together to make sure that we get equipment to the right place,” he said.
“We’ve brought snow ploughs and gritters down from further north in Scotland to supplement the usual equipment in the central belt.
“So a great deal has been done in the face of really atrocious weather conditions.”
The heavy snow across Scotland and Northern Ireland has cleared southwards and there are Met Office severe weather warnings for snow across parts of north-west England into Tuesday morning.
BBC weather forecaster Matt Taylor said ice would be a more widespread problem across the UK.
Temperatures will struggle to get above freezing in parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports will be open but passengers are advised to check with their airline.
Belfast International and London City airports have warned of delays and cancellations in fog and freezing weather.
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