In northern Scotland¸ hundreds of schools have been shut after a weather warning for snow and ice was extended until Friday. The Met Office has warned that snowfall could reach up to 10 cm in higher regions.

Scotland is facing unnerving temperatures of minus 16C - the lowest for over a decade - and the snowy weather shows no signs of letting up. The mercury could plummet to the lowest in the UK in January for 15 years in the next two days.

Forecasters warn of difficult driving conditions as workers and school pupils return after the Christmas break.

Scotland is continuing to be hit by freezing weather, with rain, sleet and snow expected to fall across large parts of the country. Temperatures at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands fell to -11C on Saturday night after forecasters extended a yellow warning from 09:00 on Sunday until 12:00 on Monday.

The Met Office placed much of the UK under yellow weather warnings this week as plummeting temperatures brought snow and ice to huge swathes of the country

The alert will run for 24 hours from midday, covering Grampian, the Highlands, Orkney & Shetland, Dumfries & Galloway and across Ayrshire.

The Met Office has issued fresh weather warnings for ice after huge areas of the UK were hit by heavy snow. Parts of southern Scotland, the northeast, Yorkshire, the Midlands and East Anglia have been issued a yellow warning for ice.