UK weather: Motorists ABANDON cars on busy motorway as heavy snow causes travel chaos

Pictures show abandoned cars on the M1 after snow fell overnight across parts of the North, Midlands and Wales

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Motorists were forced to abandon their cars after heavy snow caused problems on roads overnight.

Parts of the North, Midlands, and Wales were hit by snowy weather causing a number of traffic problems.

And forecasters have warned that temperatures could plummet to as low as -14C in parts of Scotland, meaning Britain will be colder than the North Pole.

Some motorists were forced to leave their vehicles after becoming trapped in snow at junction 27 of the M1 motorway.

Leeds Bradford Airport also closed due to the snowfall but has told passengers to arrive as normal.

A spokesman for the airport said it would be shut until 9am after around 5cm of snow came down during the night.

The spokesman said snow ploughs and gritters were working along the runways and passengers should arrive as normal, but expect knock-on delays.

Holidaymakers had so far been understanding about the problems caused by the difficult weather conditions, the spokesman added.

West Yorkshire Police warned people to take extra care on the roads, posting on Twitter: "Please take extra care when driving today in these cold & icy conditions. We want you to get to your destination safely."

The Met Office is forecasting further snow for the region and many other parts of the UK during the morning.

These maps show which area are likely to see snow last night, left, and today, right

A yellow warning of snow is in place for the west coast of Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and much of the Midlands.

Forecasters say two inches of snow fell overnight in certain areas and will continue to fall this morning.

The Met Office - which has issued a yellow weather warning - also said up to four inches of snow is possible in some areas this morning.

However, forecasters say the snow and sleet should clear as the day progresses.

Speaking last night, a Met Office spokesman said: "A complex frontal system is running into the UK from the west and is coming up against a stagnant cold airmass on its forward flank over central and eastern areas.

"Rain arriving in westernmost areas will readily turn to snow as it comes inland later on Tuesday, spreading into Wales along with central and northern England overnight. The snow is likely to accumulate easily, given the cold ground surfaces."

On Monday, a plane skidding off the runway at Inverness Airport .

The BE202 flight from Manchester landed safely at 10.14am - but then the wheels of the Q400 aircraft skidded on the surface of the airfield causing it to slide onto the grass.     

The 47 passengers and four crew on the were unharmed.

Temperatures were recorded at -3C at the airport at the time of the incident following the coldest night of the year when temperatures dropped to -12C in Scotland.

However, a spokesman for Inverness Airport told the BBC there was nothing to suggest the UK's wintry weather, which saw freezing temperatures in the Highlands, as low as -12C, was to blame for the incident.