Plummeting temperatures and freezing conditions have caused more misery for motorists as forecasters warned of further snow to come.

Hundreds of drivers battled to get home after spending a night stranded in their cars in bitterly cold conditions as Scotland bore the brunt of a fresh wave of Arctic weather.

One retired couple was left "starving and freezing" for 17 hours on a journey which would usually have taken 40 minutes.

The most recent deluge - which appeared to take the authorities by surprise - forced people to sleep in their cars or abandon them as major routes became impassable.

Meanwhile 40% of children were turned away from classes north of the border.

This came after around 100 youngsters were forced to sleep at their school because bad weather prevented them from getting home.

North-east Scotland and north-west England were battered by more snow and blizzards during the day as temperatures struggled to rise above zero.

While the mercury dipped to minus 18C in Strathallan, Scotland, on Monday night, even at midday on Tuesday the highest temperature was only 4C, recorded in Penzance, Cornwall.

Forecasters said there was unlikely to be a let-up in the freezing conditions.

Up to 15cm 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.