An Arctic blast has forced hundreds of schools to stay shut in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with widespread snow and ice causing delays throughout Monday to road, rail and air travel. Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place across much of the country, with a warning of more widespread snow later this week.

As Storm Goretti closed in on the UK, Severn Valley Railway (SVR) was helping Network Rail clear snow and debris from the West Midlands main line using one of its locomotives.

Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.

Heavy snowfall disrupted air, road and rail travel in France and the Netherlands on Monday, as hundreds of flights were cancelled in the countries' capitals, while trains around Amsterdam came to a standstill and bus services in Paris were suspended.

Rail operators have warned to 'take care' while using their services today as temperatures remain low in the region.

Trains across the Netherlands were cancelled on Tuesday morning after IT problems hit the national operator NS. The company had planned to run a winter timetable because of heavy overnight snow, but a fault with an “essential system” that allocated drivers to trains on the revised schedule meant no services could run until 10am.

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.