UK weather latest – Storm Emma smashes into ‘Beast from the East’ leaving hundreds trapped on motorway – but worse is coming with 20 INCHES of snow, black ice and army on standby

TRAVEL chaos continues this morning after hundreds of people were left trapped in their cars as Storm Emma was poised to smash into 'the Beast from the East' last night.

Frantic drivers desperately trying to get home from work were forced to either sleep in their cars or completely abandon them on the M80 between Glasgow and Stirling last night.

Many were trapped on the snow-battered road for 13 hours - with some forced to spend the night in their cars while others abandoned them completely.

While in snow-hit Lincolnshire,  the A52 became impassable between Boston and Skegness, with police warning officers would not be able to rescue stuck drivers.

Update: A red warning forecasting a 'risk to life' was issued on Thursday by the Met Office as Storm Emma continued the freezing conditions and brought threats of more snowfall

Even snowploughs were unable to get through to rescue drivers, with drifting snow causing piles up to a foot deep.

But experts warned the weather is going to get WORSE today with a staggering 20 inches of snow to be dumped on parts of the country, deadly black ice coating the roads and sub-zero temperatures freezing the nation.

Brits are now:

• Bracing for blizzard-like conditions across most of the country, with Scotland expected to see around 20 inches of snow overnight
• Preparing for more than six inches of snow across the rest of the country overnight
• Wrapping up in -15C 'feel-like' temperatures as the Siberian winds make it the coldest spell since 1991
• Dealing with "danger to life" warnings as Storm Emma and the "Beast from the East" clash over the UK - with conditions set to worsen tonight
• Enduring travel chaos as planes are grounded, trains across the south cancelled and roads blocked by several inches of snow
• Stripping supermarket shelves in a desperate bid to stock up on essentials amid fears of being stranded
• Facing the prospect of homes without power and mobile phone outages as the sub-zero temperatures wreak havoc on electricity lines

National Rail is warning that most services across the country are likely to be affected by the chilly conditions.

Transport for London is reporting a good service on most lines but there are minor delays on the DLR, London Overground.

The Piccadilly line is also experiencing minor delays and is partially closed between Cockfosters and Oakwood.

The Met Office has issued a red alert for Scotland, the highest level of weather warning, that is in place until 10am on Thursday with up to 40cm of the white stuff expected in some areas.

Forecaster Craig Snell said although Thursday marks the first day of meteorological spring, "winter is still firmly in charge across the UK".

He also warned that extreme weather will grip Britain for another 48 hours.

"The red warning is our highest tier, we don't often see a red warning - the last one was back in 2016 up in Shetland and Orkney and that was for strong winds," he said.

"The last time we had the red snow warning was back in 2013 and that was for South Wales - they do not get issued that often."

Mr Snell revealed that a red warning for snow has never before been issued for Scotland, England or Northern Ireland.

Dad-of-two Stevie Buise told STV how he was among those trapped on the motorway last night, but decided to ditch his car.

He said: "We got on the motorway at 2pm and at about 5.30pm I decided to leave the car as I was low on diesel and mobile phone battery.

“I had two young kids in the car so I thought I would take my chances while it was light outside.

“Your immediate thoughts were the safety of my children. I knew I couldn’t run the engine overnight.

“Temperatures were dropping and it was already -3C so I couldn’t make them sleep in the car.”

While Jim Elder told Sky News he was trapped for nine hours before police opened up one lane and allowed him to finish his drive to Glasgow.

He said: "There are hundreds and hundreds of cars not moving."

Police Scotland said this morning they were responding to a build up of cars on the M80 and M876 around junction 8 and urged motorists to stay at home and not travel.

Fresh from the Atlantic, Storm Emma smashes the UK today - bringing with it blizzards, black ice and gale-force winds.

Lincolnshire Police said yesterday the military is desperately needed for the next 24 hours as the force declared a "critical incident" after heavy snowfall.

It's hoped the Army and RAF vehicles could be used to reach vulnerable people trapped by the snow.

Amber snow warnings have also been issued for North East of England and the central belt of Scotland, in place between 10am and 8pm today.

From 12pm this afternoon until 8am on Friday an amber snow and ice warning has also been issued across south west England and south Wales.

On top of these, yellow snow warnings have been issued for vast swathes of southern, central, and northern England, Northern Ireland and Wales - in place for most of Thursday.

In response to the impending heavy snow showers all schools, community centres and libraries in Edinburgh will be closed, the city's local authority said.

Plymouth Council said more than 80 schools would be closed on Thursday, with more than 50 in Newcastle and 103 across Devon remaining shut.

On top of the Amber snow warning in the south west, Mr Snell said there could be 50 to 60mph winds that will bring "blizzard-like conditions".

"There could be 10cm to 20cm of snow quite widely in that area, with possibly Dartmoor or Exmoor seeing up to 50cm of snow," he added.

Heading into Friday he warned that the snow in the south west may turn into freezing rain and could "give a glaze of ice" on top any lying snow - making conditions "even more treacherous".

On Wednesday as icy blasts gripped Britain, a man in his 60s died after being pulled from a lake in Danson Park, south east London that he had fallen into.

Firefighters also rescued a young boy who had tried to run into the middle of a frozen lake and got trapped as the ice broke up at Laindon near Basildon, Essex.

Disruption across the country's rail and road network is expected to ensue throughout rush hour on Thursday as wintry conditions continue to blight Britain.

Gatwick Airport said due to the severe weather they are "expecting a large number of cancellations and delays to flights".

Advising those travelling to check the status of their flight with their airline, the airport stressed to passengers "not to travel to the airport if it is cancelled".

Edinburgh Airport also tweeted to say most airlines have cancelled their operations had cancelled flights from there until lunchtime on Thursday.

Glasgow Airport also said there would be no flights until 3pm.

Police across the country also advised motorists to avoid driving if possible owing to poor visibility and treacherous conditions.

The Met Office said the highest temperature in the UK on Wednesday was 1.7C recorded in Katesbridge, County Down and the coldest in Braemar, Aberdeenshire at -5.3C.

Mr Snell warned: "Generally many places on Thursday will struggle to get anywhere near -1C, a few people will come up above, but many of us will be firmly below freezing."

Ahead of Storm Emma today, all commuters were urged to check their routes before travelling, with disruptions likely to continue until Friday.

'The Beast from the East' has also caused severe travel disruption across Ireland, cutting off travel links with the rest of the UK.

All flights to and from Dublin Airport were also been cancelled the rest of yesterday, with affected customers notified of their options by email or text message.

Passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for more information.

Road travel across Ireland has also been severely disrupted with roads blocked by snow, resulting in dozens of suspended bus routes and tailbacks.

Public Health England (PHE) urged people to plan ahead to ensure they have enough food and medicine.

Dr Thomas Waite, of Public Health England’s Extreme Events team, said: “When the wind drives temperatures even lower, the risks to health can increase as even people not normally at risk from cold related illness can feel the effects more.

"This is why it’s so critical to keep warm; a good way is to keep homes heated to at least 18C.

Heavy snow blankets the tarmac at Glasgow airport

“In weather like this our bodies have to work harder, older people, young children and those with long term conditions like heart and lung diseases, can really struggle to cope in such low temperatures.

"So do keep an eye on those at risk, wear several thin layers instead of fewer thicker ones and if you’re able, consider clearing paths of snow and ice.

"Staying warm will help you stay well – and that’s vital in exceptional weather like this.”

The major disruption comes as Brits are put on red alert as the 'Beast from the East' clashed with Storm Emma.

The Met Office has upgraded weather warnings for Scotland to red – the highest possible level – meaning “risk to life” is likely.

Amber-graded warnings remain in place for large swathes of the rest of the country, which has ground to a halt after more than eight inches of snow fell overnight.

Blizzard-like conditions are seeing powdery snow fall at a rate of almost two inches an hour across Scotland.

It comes as Britain faced another round of severe weather as Storm Emma makes its way across the Atlantic within days, threatening to unleash even more carnage.

Hundreds of schools were closed across the country for a second day.

Roads across the country have been the worst hit by the snowy weather, with emergency services working tirelessly to rescue stranded vehicles.

Police across the country have advised motorists to take extra care if driving in poor visibility after a number of crashes and collisions were reported.

Yesterday was the busiest day in a decade for the RAC, with rescue teams attending around 9,500 breakdowns.

The extended warnings come as temperatures plummeted overnight, with Benson in Oxfordshire recording a temperature of -10C.

The rest of the country saw equally frosty temperatures between -4C and -7C.

The plunging temperatures meant Britain was yesterday colder than Iceland, Greenland and even parts of Canada.

Swathes of Scotland and the North face the prospect of battling the deadly black ice, as 20cm of snow and -15C temperatures are predicted to hit along with freezing ice winds.

Motorists are reminded to be extra cautious on the roads today after four people were killed in a string of collisions yesterday.

Three women died yesterday when a Renault Clio collided with a Scania lorry on the A15 in Baston just after 6.15am.

Another person died less than four hours later when a man was killed in a three vehicle smash on the A47 near Peterborough shortly before 10am.

Highways England said drivers should reduce their speed and pack a snow kit of blankets, food, water and a shovel.

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