Police battled to rescue hundreds of motorists trapped in their cars by snowdrifts (several feet of snow in parts of South West England) after a day when temperature never rose above -5C.
About 1,000 vehicles were stuck on the M80 last night and had to be cleared by the Scottish authorities this morning.
About 100 vehicles were also stuck in snow on the A303 at Ilminster, Somerset, where police and rescue teams were deployed.
Coldest March day on record
Britain was also warned gas supplies could run out as record low temperatures led to a surge in demand
Yesterday was the coldest March day on record with temperatures not rising above -5.8C in Okehampton.The country was enduring the coldest day in March since records began in 1959.
Ten people died in the so-called “cold snap,” which affected the whole of Britain.
The Met Office has put England under an unprecedented red warning for snow, amid concerns that up to 1ft 8in (50 cm) could fall in the South West.
