Brits battle through sheets of snow as temps plunge to -8C and further 8 inches to fall sparking rush hour carnage

SNOW is causing rush hour chaos with trains cancelled and drivers warned to be on high alert as temperatures are set to fall to -8C.

The Met Office has issued three yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across different areas of the UK.

The weather alerts cover the Midlands, northern England, parts of Northern Ireland, north east Wales and sections of Northern Ireland.

Snow has already blanketed parts of the UK, with Brits waking up to a heavy dusting in parts of Wales, Liverpool and Derbyshire.

London was also hit by flurries of snow overnight.

Motorists have been warned to be on high alert after National Highways issued an amber sever snow warning last night.

Drivers in the north east and north west of England were told to take extra care and avoid the roads if possible.

Impacted roads included the M26 between J21-J23, the M1 between Leeds and Sheffield and the M56 at Manchester.

It comes as National Rail has warned the weather is likely to impact various routes across the Northern Rail network until at least 2pm.

Mersey Rail has also told passengers the first service on each line in the north west is running without customers to ensure snow and ice have not affected the tracks.

East Midlands Railways has said trains are currently unable to run in both directions between Nottingham, Mansfield Woodhouse and Worksop due to the “severe weather”.

Meanwhile, temperatures in Scottish Highlands are expected to drop as low as -7.8C, which would become the lowest temperature recorded in the UK since last winter.

A yellow snow and ice warning is currently in place until 10am on Tuesday covering Northern Ireland.

Another yellow alert is in place until 10am on Wednesday, covering areas in Scotland.

A third covering areas in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the north of England lasts until 11am on Tuesday .

Dan Suri, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “An area of low pressure slides its way eastwards on Monday night.

“The associated frontal system, marking the boundary between cold air in the north and milder conditions to the south, will bring disruptive snow to some areas between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

“This is likely to coincide with rush hour, leading to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning. It will also be windy in the far south.”

The Met Office has warned of power cuts, disruption to road and public transport and the risk of injury from slipping on ice.

An update from the forecaster this morning said: “Some impactful snow and ice will continue to affect those areas within the warning area this morning.

“Further south across southern parts of Wales, and southern England some snow is also expected at times, which may give some accumulations, chiefly on hills, and locally difficult driving conditions are also possible here.”

It comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued the first amber cold weather health alert of the season this week.

The warning covers the east and north of England, Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

Yellow alerts also came into place for the South East, South West and London at 8am on Tuesday and will last until 6pm on Saturday.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, from the UKHSA, said: “This is the first amber Cold Weather Health Alert of the season, but we can expect more as we approach winter, and it is vital to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours to ensure they are well prepared for the onset of cold weather.

“Particularly if they are elderly or otherwise at increased risk.”