Snow showers have settled in parts of the UK as the mercury continued to plunge below freezing overnight.

Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place for the South East and western areas of England, Wales and Scotland, as well as all of Northern Ireland, as the deep freeze continues.

Temperatures fell to -9.1C in Shap, Cumbria, shortly before dawn as many woke up to the coldest morning of the week, the Met Office said.

Emergency services warned of treacherous conditions on roads, with South Western Ambulance Service reporting several accidents due to ice and Northumbria Police attending a three-car crash in Gateshead, where the roads were “extremely icy”.

The Met Office chief forecaster said some heavier bursts of sleet and snow were possible in Norfolk and Suffolk, where between 1 to 4cm of snow could fall, while other areas could see around 1cm of snow but ice “may be the more widespread hazard”.

The Met Office tweeted: “For many Wednesday morning will be the coldest of the week, with a hard #frost, #ice and some #snow. Scrapers at the ready!

“Snow showers in the southeast easing through afternoon. A few wintry showers possible in west Wales and Cornwall. Cloudier across Scotland and Northern Ireland with rain, sleet and snow edging southeastwards.”

Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said on Tuesday the cold weather could last into March.

He said: “Really much of February and perhaps even into March it is going to stay on the cold side, so temperatures generally below average, with further frosts and also the risk of rain, sleet and snow as well.”