In northern Scotland¸ hundreds of schools have been shut after a weather warning for snow and ice was extended until Friday. The Met Office has warned that snowfall could reach up to 10 cm in higher regions. The office has issued ‘Yellow’ warning for Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Outer Hebrides.

Scotland is continuing to be hit by freezing weather, with rain, sleet and snow expected to fall across large parts of the country. Temperatures at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands fell to -11C on Saturday night after forecasters extended a yellow warning from 09:00 on Sunday until 12:00 on Monday.

Scotland is facing unnerving temperatures of minus 16C - the lowest for over a decade - and the snowy weather shows no signs of letting up. The mercury could plummet to the lowest in the UK in January for 15 years in the next two days.

The alert will run for 24 hours from midday, covering Grampian, the Highlands, Orkney & Shetland, Dumfries & Galloway and across Ayrshire.

The Met Office has issued fresh weather warnings for ice after huge areas of the UK were hit by heavy snow. Parts of southern Scotland, the northeast, Yorkshire, the Midlands and East Anglia have been issued a yellow warning for ice.