UK weather live: Britain braces for coldest night of winter so far with temperatures to drop as low as -20C

Three fresh yellow weather warnings for ice have been issued by the Met Office across the UK, as a warning for snow and ice is extended.

The snow and ice warning, in place for northern Scotland, has been extended until 10am on Friday.

An ice warning has been introduced until Friday 10am for most of England’s east coast, stretching from East Anglia up to the southeast tip of Scotland.

Another is in place for most of Wales, areas of the Midlands and northwest England, and the northeastern half of Northern Ireland. It will be lifted at the same time.

A third weather warning for ice will be issued for south Wales and southwest England from 3am until 11am on Friday.

“Scattered wintry showers on Thursday evening will slowly fade overnight, leading to the risk of icy patches on untreated surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing,” the Met Office said.

The Met Office has called on people in areas affected by snow and ice to look out for elderly neighbours.

Check to see if they “need any practical help” and that they are “well”, the forecaster says on its website.

It also advises making sure they have sufficient food supplies in case they cannot go out.

The Met adds: “Offer to clear their paths when you clear yours and spread salt. You can use ordinary table or dishwasher salt - a tablespoon for each square metre you clear.”

Dozens of homeowners in Leicestershire have been trapped after flooding caused damage to their properties which have still not been fixed after they were destroyed by water a year ago.

Homeowners on Belton Road in Loughborough remain stranded on the first floor of their semi-detached houses on Tuesday after rising water from the nearby Grand Union canal flooded the street.

Families on the road complained they were hit with similar flooding from Storm Henk on January 3 last year which ruined their properties and left them trapped inside.

With parts of the country covered by snow and ice warnings, the Met hasissued advice for how to drive safely on ice.

Only drive if it is absolutely necessary, the forecaster says. If you must drive, follow this advice:

• Looking well ahead for potential hazards and keep your speed down.
• Accelerating, braking, steering and changing gear as smoothly as possible to reduce the risk of a skid.
• Using a higher gear may be more appropriate to help grip on packed ice.
• Using a higher gear helps manage engine power making it easier to find traction.

More than a dozen hospitals across the country have declared critical incidents as emergency departments continue to be swamped by surging winter flu cases.

Bosses at the hospitals have declared the health system’s highest alert level as NHS England said flu cases on wards were more than triple than what they were last year, which has led to “mammoth demands” on health services.

Health services issue critical incident declarations when services become so overwhelmed they struggle to deliver critical services, risking patient safety. It means the service can call on partners for help with staffing.

Some hospitals have also restricted visitor numbers and encouraged people to wear surgical masks to limit the spread of viruses.

Transport for Wales has closed some rail lines due to damage to the tracks following a period of “heavy wind, rain and snow”.

Buses will replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until Monday at the earliest.

A signalling fault is also causing major disruption between Crewe and Wilmslow, affecting Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Transport for Wales services.

Flooding means the Great Western Railway line between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall is still closed.

People who need to walk or cycle in areas at risk of snow and ice are advised by the Met Office to take extra care and leave early if possible.

The forecaster issued the following advice for those leaving their homes:

• Plan to leave the house five minutes earlier than normal. Not needing to rush reduces your risk of accidents, slips and falls.
• If making a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery. Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated.
• Take extra care when walking on untreated pavements and prepare for journeys by wearing footwear with a good grip.
• Where possible do not cycle on untreated roads as accidents are more likely.

As weather warnings are issued across the UK, some areas are expected to see temperatures plunge as low as -10C. When it comes to your beauty routine – it’s not just your skin that suffers.

Your hair has a lot to tolerate during the blustery cold spell – from brittle breakage to excess dandruff.

So, celebrity hair experts share their top tips for keeping your hair in prime health and looking great throughout the icy snap.

A dramatic drop in temperature can wreak havoc on your hair – as it’s forced to quickly acclimatise from the chilly outdoors to drying central heating.

The cold snap which has slammed the UK in the past week will end on Friday as milder air moves in from the southwest.

Chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “Milder air will attempt to move into the UK from the southwest on Friday morning, heralding the end of this impactful cold spell.

“Increasing cloud and light rain, perhaps preceded by a little snow, will begin to affect northwestern then northern parts of the UK through the weekend.

“Here, temperatures will be back to around average by Sunday, and on Monday it’ll be much milder, with temperatures reaching double digits in Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland,” he added.