Travellers battled ice, snow and bitterly cold winds yesterday as winter returned.
Jersey Airport was shut due to snow, and on the roads there were hazardous conditions on many major routes.
Blizzard conditions were reported on the M40 in Warwickshire and there were numerous rush-hour accidents.
Strong winds added to drivers’ problems, with falling trees blocking some roads.
On the trains, poor rail conditions led to delays in Sussex and Hampshire, while there was also a number of signalling problems.
Forecasters warned of snow spreading to nearly every area of Britain, with almost four inches (10 centimetres) expected in the worst-hit areas.
With more snow showers expected throughout the week, bookmakers slashed the odds for a white Easter.
On the roads, there were hazardous driving conditions on the A69 and A6 in Cumbria and on the A54 in Cheshire.
In Sussex, police said there had been “a number” of crashes caused by the snowy conditions as they warned motorists to take extra care on the roads.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: “There’s not a great deal of snow falling at the moment, but the temperature is hovering at or just below freezing and the roads are slippery in places.
“Some drivers are just not making allowances for the conditions.”
While drivers contended with heavy snow on the M40 in Warwickshire, motorists in Wales had to put up with strong winds.
One lane of the M48 Severn Bridge was closed and falling trees blocked some Welsh roads.
Some of the roads where driving conditions were at their worst yesterday included the A46 in Nottinghamshire, the A14 in Suffolk and the A353 in Dorset.
Fallen trees blocked roads in Newquay in Cornwall and in Lynton in Devon.
On the railways, a signalling problem caused delays between Moorgate and Finsbury Park in north London, while another signalling problem led to hold-ups in the Carstairs area of Scotland, which affected services run by five companies – CrossCountry, East Coast, First TransPennine Express, ScotRail and Virgin Trains.
On the mainland, signalling problems in the Portsmouth Harbour area and poor rail conditions between Havant in Hampshire and Pulborough in West Sussex meant delays for London-bound commuters.
Julian Mayes, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures would struggle to reach 0˚C (32˚F) anywhere in Britain yesterday.
He went on: “The cold weather is set to continue until Thursday.
“Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are all expected to be very cold and frosty, with overnight temperatures as low as minus 6˚C (21˚F) in places.
“By Friday the wind will have eased off and temperatures could reach 7˚C (45˚F).
“That’s still below average for the time of year, but will seem much warmer after this cold snap.”