Forecasters are warning of more snow as drivers are left stranded in their cars on blocked roads.
The mercury dipped to minus 18C in Strathallan, Scotland, on Monday, and there is unlikely to be a let-up in the freezing conditions.
Up to 15cm of snow is forecast for parts of Aberdeenshire, the Scottish Highlands and the North York Moors while Humberside, Lincolnshire and East Anglia may also wake up to a fresh covering.
Many places are expected to have their first frost-free night for more than a fortnight on Thursday, but next week is likely to herald more wintry weather.
More than 100 vehicles were trapped on an exposed route when a sudden heavy snow shower came in on Tuesday.
The A171 between Whitby and Scarborough had to be closed temporarily when snow fell on ice, making driving extremely hazardous, North Yorkshire Police said.
Officers working with the Highways Agency and other agencies responded from around 4.30pm when more than 100 drivers reported they were stuck.
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond admitted his Government had been "caught out" by a "perfect storm" of wintry weather which saw hundreds of people trapped overnight on the country's road network.
The snow deluge on Monday - which appeared to take the authorities by surprise - saw hundreds of people sleep in their cars or abandon them on the highway as motorways and roads clogged up.
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson had to apologise today for the chaos after some travellers were stuck in their vehicles for more than 15 hours.
Scotland bore the brunt of a fresh wave of ice and snow which left several major routes - including the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh - impassable.
Category
🗞
News