The snowy aftermath to Christmas largely melted away yesterday in a slushy mess and driving rain, but only after claiming at least three more lives as morning blizzards buried cars on east coast roads.

Dozens of drivers in East Yorkshire had to be dug free by firefighters from cars trapped in freezing drifts on roads crossing the Wolds, where exposed stretches saw the wind pile snow three feet deep.

Jeeps were used to rescue people from 200 vehicles stranded at Arras Hill near Market Weighton and there was renewed chaos in Kent, where snowfalls coincided with the morning rush hour at Ashford, Canterbury and Dartford. One man died in the Market Weighton blizzard and a woman was killed in a pile-up on the A1 at Torness in East Lothian.

An 84-year-old man died in a six-car pile-up in North Lanarkshire on icy road surfaces.

Among scores of non-fatal accidents, two drivers were treated for serious whiplash injuries after their cars skidded off an icebound stretch of the M20 at Maidstone in Kent.

Flights from some regional airports were affected. Services to Dublin and Belfast were cancelled at Newcastle airport, which also saw six international flights seriously delayed.

Stansted airport closed its main runway for a time after clearing crews were overwhelmed by snow, and two incoming Ryanair holiday flights were diverted to Bournemouth and long coach connections home. Luton airport was also badly affected by freezing temperatures.

Police and motoring organisations repeated calls for people not to drive unless necessary, and to go equipped with warm clothing, a shovel and mobile phone if they had to make a journey. The Highways Agency said: "Road users should also be aware of the risk of crosswinds and maintain additional distance from the vehicle in front, not just in the snow but when the rain comes later this afternoon and evening."

The Arctic snap has also hit much of northern Europe, with heavy snowstorms and ice causing a string of fatal road crashes. Among the victims were two British travellers who died near Lille. Their names have not yet been released while relatives are informed.

Police in West Bromwich are meanwhile preparing another appeal for information about a rough sleeper who was found frozen to death in a doorway at the top of the town hall's steps.

The PA WeatherCentre said that warmer weather would establish a hold over the weekend. "It is going to turn very wet with a belt of warm, tropical air coming in from the Atlantic," said a spokesman. "Rain will be heavy at times, with most of the snow getting washed away."

The cold spell has taken December's temperatures half a degree below the average, but 2005 keeps its place as one of the five hottest years since modern record keeping began in 1921.