A jackknifed lorry is recovered on the M74 today after motorists spent the night stranded on the road in Abington, Scotland
Mountain rescue teams were drafted in to check on drivers stuck in their vehicles on the M74 in Lanarkshire after heavy snow showers struck the country, with up to 15in (39cm) of the white stuff hitting Dumfries and Galloway.
All schools in the Scottish Borders have been shut today along with 200 in Northern Ireland, while commuters across Britain have been warned of treacherous conditions following the arrival of Storm Fionn over Ireland.
Severe 'be prepared' weather warnings were upgraded across the UK last night, with much of Scotland and Northern Ireland blanketed in snow and ice and drivers warned of lengthy disruptions during rush hour.
The severe conditions led to widespread reports of vehicles getting trapped in icy conditions, with one video showing passers-by desperately pushing to help a stranded ambulance in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
Also, a runaway lorry slid down a snowy street then crashed into a fence in Glenmavis, North Lanarkshire. Witness Niki Blackhall, who filmed it, said: 'The men in the truck got out to help the crashed cars and the truck slid away.
'It hit our wall. I'm just glad nobody was injured and the wall stopped the truck from sliding down the hill, as the outcome would have been a lot worse.'
A mountain rescue team helped motorists early this morning who were trapped on the M74 in Lanarkshire in wintry weather
Trucks back up at Red Moss truck stop off the M74 today after motorists spent the night stranded in Crawford
Traffic Scotland closed parts of the M74 in both directions - with tailbacks for six miles. Moffat Mountain Rescue assisted the operation to get the road clear by walking on the motorway and visiting drivers stuck in the tailbacks.
Sam Sykes, a surveyor from Biggar, South Lanarkshire, said he was stuck on the M74 for around 12 hours - from 6pm last night until around 5.30am today. He was travelling from Dalry in Ayrshire to Biggar, after work.
The 25-year-old said: 'It was really horrible as you would imagine. I was constantly checking the Traffic Scotland site for any updates but information was very limited. It wasn't really crawling, it was pretty much standstill for the entire time except a small period around 8pm when we moved a few miles.
'I got a little bit of sleep but the combination of cold and not knowing if you were going to be moving again restricted that. The length of time, the cold and the uncertainty of when it would start again was the worst part. Luckily I am not in work this morning.'
Mat Jackson, a product manager with Siemens, arrived home in Manchester at around 11.30am today - having left Glasgow at 3.20pm yesterday.
The 29-year-old, who was returning from a business trip with a colleague, said: 'Leaving Glasgow we were stood still for around four hours, moving maybe 300 yards in total.
'Every time gritters went by you thought 'here we go' but the snow just came down harder, it was that thick you couldn't see in front of you.
'People were driving on the hard shoulder, and crossing lanes and getting stuck in the drift, which was about a foot deep, compounding the mess.
'We didn't get properly moving until around 3.30am. I didn't want to sleep as the traffic might've started moving! It's completely screwed my sense of time, I'm out of kilter.
'Thankfully the boss has given me the day off work, so I'm away for a cup of tea and some sleep.'
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf apologised to those who had been stuck in their cars overnight.
He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: 'Let me give an apology to those commuters that would have been stuck for a number of hours in their vehicles, particularly on the M74, where it's been a really, really challenging night.
'We knew of this, we've been warning of it since last week, we've been patrolling with gritters across the entire network but the depth of the snow, the amount of snow and the widespread nature of it frankly made it extremely, extremely challenging across the country.'
Asked if everything had been done in terms of gritting that could have been done, he added: 'Without a shadow of a doubt, I've double checked that as well throughout the night. We had hundreds of patrol vehicles and gritter vehicles out in the days before and during.'
Mr Yousaf said that if the road had been closed traffic would have been diverted off to local roads, leading to pressure on those roads as well.
He said: 'What we're trying to do is to keep the traffic flow going. What happened last night was that as soon as a patch of road was cleared, it was very clear that as soon as people started moving they lost traction again.
'In one incident alone seven HGVs were involved and we know that across the network over 50 HGVs have been involved in incidents too. So we're considering all options for the evening peak but also of course our immediate focus is to get the queues moving on the M74, but if there are other parts of Scotland that are facing challenges then getting them moving as well.'
Junctions 9 to 12 southbound and junctions 16 to 13 northbound of the M74 have been particularly affected by the snow with drivers becoming stuck on the road due to the 'challenging conditions'
Police declared a critical incident as they dealt with the situation on the M74 overnight and said more than 200 people were stranded. Chief Superintendent Stewart Carle told BBC Good Morning Scotland: 'The gritters are out.
'They are continually putting down more grit and ploughing, they are using heavy rescue vehicles to give jack-knifed lorries a tow to get them straightened up again.
'This will be a slow process and if the weather looks like it's going to turn again please listen in, we may give a message to say avoid travel on the M74.'
The force said: 'Partner agencies have been working together to ensure that welfare support is provided to road users who have been stuck on the M74. Officers from Police Scotland are urging motorists to avoid the area.'
Borders Council said that all schools in the Borders would be closed today following heavy snow yesterday and overnight. It said the decision had been taken in the interests of the safety of pupils, staff, parents and carers.
It added: 'The council has considered all options in making this decision, and has taken it in conjunction with advice from partners, including Police Scotland.'
Meanwhile 16 secondary schools, 58 primaries and 44 nurseries in the Highlands are shut today. Around 20 schools in Dumfries and Galloway and 28 schools and nurseries in South Lanarkshire are also closed.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also urged people to be careful, tweeting: 'The weather conditions will continue to be very difficult today. Please take care and follow advice from Police Scotland and Traffic Scotland.'
More than a foot (15in) of snow was recorded in Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, Glenanne in Co Armagh had 23cm (9in), while Tulloch Bridge in Inverness saw 21cm (8in) of snow overnight, forecasters said.
Temperatures fell as low as -4C (25F) in Scotland overnight, while elsewhere across England and Wales the mercury did not reach above 2C (36F).
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said: 'There have been plenty of heavy snow showers, particularly across Scotland. It's pretty bleak out there in some places. A good chunk of the UK is effectively covered by a snow and ice warning.'
Looking ahead for today, he added: 'It is going to be quite windy as low pressure pushes through tonight and that could bring some snow across parts of Scotland and in particular northern England.'
Forecasters warned the winds could reach 80mph across northern England and Wales this evening - and potentially could be another named storm.
Mr Burkill added: 'Once that clears out, we will return to frequent showers pushing in from the north west through Thursday and Friday.'
More than 200 schools in Northern Ireland have closed due to bad weather, including premises primarily in Belfast and Counties Down, Armagh and Antrim. Glenanne in Co Armagh had 23cm (9in) of snow overnight.
Hundreds of Northern Ireland Electricity customers lost power. The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said conditions were 'wintry' on many roads throughout the country and urged drivers to take care.
Brigid Stitt prepares to go sledding in the snow in Belfast today as Northern Ireland was hit by school closures
'You should ensure you and your vehicle are adequately prepared for the conditions, making sure you have sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food and water in the event you are delayed for several hours.'
Forecasters have warned of 'heavy squally showers of snow' which may cause power cuts and disruption on the roads, with up to 10in (25cm) possible on high ground, and up to 4in (10cm) more typical at lower levels.
Vehicles make their way through heavy snow in Midlothian near Edinburgh today as motorists face tough driving conditions
'Be prepared' warnings, which cover Central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, southern Scotland, Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde and Northern Ireland, are valid until 8am on Wednesday.'
RAC spokesman Pete Williams said: 'With the weather having deteriorated quickly this evening a lot of motorists are running into difficulty. Our patrols are working extremely hard to keep people moving in snowy conditions.'
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