As of severe cold transport is shocked in Europe.

BBC - Motorists have been urged to take extra care in treacherous conditions as snow across much of the UK turns to ice.

The Met Office has issued nine warnings for ice after disruption to road, rail and air travel following up to 16cm (6in) of snow in some areas.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the M25 and M40, with drivers forced to spend the night in their cars.

Half of the 1,300 scheduled flights at Heathrow were cancelled and some trains and Tube services also disrupted.

Snow fell over parts of Scotland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands on Saturday before sweeping down to London and East Anglia.

Church Fenton, in North Yorkshire, reported 16cm (6in) of snow, contributing to more than 60 accidents on the region's roads.

Rain or sleet is forecast once the snowfall eases, but then clear skies will lead to widespread icy patches forming across much of England and parts of south-east Wales, the Met Office said, advising people to "be aware".

Heathrow operator BAA said airlines expected to operate about half of the 1,300 flights originally scheduled for Sunday.

It decided to reduce the flight schedule on Saturday to "minimise disruption" and said airlines had been able to rebook some passengers as a result.

Richard Scott, from BAA, said because Heathrow operated at capacity, there was no slack in the system to deal with the reduced number of flights that could take off and land in bad weather.

He added: "If we don't proactively cancel flights, the delays build and build and build and it's much worse for passengers."

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said she supported the "resilience plan" between the airport and air traffic control.

"It was a co-ordinated effort and a decision they took to cancel flights in advance so we didn't have passengers turning up at the airport and then finding their flight was cancelled," she said.

"So I think that was actually the right approach to take."

Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said it seemed a sensible precaution.

At Stansted airport in Essex, flights were operating but queues in the terminals were busier than normal as schedules were disrupted.

A dozen Ryanair flights were cancelled, some planes were delayed whilst de-icing took place, and there was a knock-on effect from 11 inbound flights being diverted away on Saturday night during snow clearing.