"It's looking pretty treacherous out there," said a spokeswoman for the RAC motoring organisation.

"We are advising motorists to avoid travelling if they can."

In Fife, one of the worst hit areas, police reported major traffic problems on the motorway and main roads towards the Forth Bridge and Dunfermline.

"Snow is fairly normal for us at this time of year but we have been getting it pretty bad over the last day or so," a Fife police spokesman said.

Schools in the Western Isles were closed for fear of further storm damage following heavy gales last week.

Snow and a hard overnight frost also made driving difficult in Northern Ireland, where the main road between Armagh and Keady was closed after seven vehicles became stuck.

At Belfast City Airport there were delays and some flights were cancelled.

A Met Office spokesman said the wintry weather would spread south across the country during the day, turning to rain by the time it hit southeast England as temperatures rose.

The wintry conditions will return by the weekend after a few unsettled days, he added.