Parents had to make last minute childcare arrangements when they were forced to pick up pupils from schools that closed at 2pm today after heavy snowfall caused chaos across the country.
Teachers issued notices informing parents that classes would be finishing early so that pupils and families could make their way home in the daylight, causing difficulties for parents already struggling to get back from work today.
And some workers were also allowed to clock off early, so they could avoid getting caught in icy conditions and ongoing chaos on the rail network. But it did little to prevent the inevitable rush-hour madness, with trains and Underground services severely disrupted by ice on the tracks.
Meanwhile, some schools closed altogether today, reverting to well-practiced online learning, while parents across the country are still in limbo over the arrangements for tomorrow, with many places adopting a ‘wait and see’ policy.
A number of schools and businesses closed early so children and staff got home before dark
Buckingham Palace was surrounded by snow as the cold weather continued to hit Britain today
A pedestrian walks along a snow-covered pavement in Brenchley, south east England
An aerial view of London, covered with snow on Monday morning following heavy snowfall overnight
People walk through the snow with Tower Bridge in the background in the early hours of this morning
Scenes in London this morning showed just how icy it could be overnight again today
Last night, roads grounded to a halt as an apparent shortage of gritter drivers meant surfaces were ripe for the snow to lie.
Commuters were advised to stay at home after snow and ice wreaked havoc across the whole of the southeastern railway network, while the London Underground was also hit by delays.
Scenes on the M25 and around the country of motorists trapped in their cars also cannot have been missed by managers.
It prompted some to allow their staff to go home early – and schoolchildren were also given an early cut from the learning day.
Woolwich Polytechnic announced: ‘Monday 12th December School will be open for years 7&8 only today, with school closing at 2.20pm.
‘Students in years 9 and 10 should work from home. Work will be set on Teams.’
Longdean School in Hemel Hempstead also tweeted out: ‘We want to ensure all students and staff make it home safely. Take care out there.’
Independent music shop David’s Music in Hertfordshire said: ‘Due to the wondrous snow, we’ll be closing at 3:30pm today, before it gets too dark and icy. Keep safe and warm everyone.’
Snow covers the pathways along the canal in Paddington, west London as snow and ice have swept across parts of the UK
A frozen lake in Richmond Park in south west London on a day where the capital has been covered in snow
Two dogs enjoy a race in London’s Kennington Park, which has been completely blanketed in snow
Hundreds of drivers spent several hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice caused havoc on the roads.
Traffic ground to a standstill with motorists taking hours to move a few hundred yards as cars skidded and struggled in the heavy snow.
A video of cars crashing into each other and a bus sliding into bollards in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on social media.
The driver of a silver Volkswagen is heard tooting their horn as a warning but is unable to bring the car to a halt before it slams into a black Vauxhall.
A white BMW then also crashes into the back of that, causing a further pile up, as the driver of the Volkswagen jumps out from the behind the wheel, despite onlookers urging them not to.
Footage also shows a group of six people trying to help a black people carrier back onto the road, as a cyclist rides precariously nearby.
But their efforts were in vain as the car skids off the street, only just coming to a stop before hitting a fence.
Another car is then seen sliding into some bollards, before a bus does the same, though the damage only appeared to be minor.
Meanwhile while stranded passengers slept on airport floors as as flights were axed or delayed due to the adverse weather.
A pile up is caused when a BMW crashes into a Volkswagen, which had earlier slammed into a Vauxhall
Footage also shows a group of six people trying to help a black people carrier back onto the road, as a cyclist rides precariously nearby
But their efforts were in vain as the car skids off the street, only just coming to a stop before hitting a fence
Another car is then seen sliding into some bollards, before a bus does the same, though the damage only appeared to be minor
But while millions continued to experience travel chaos today, others tried to make the most of the first snow of the winter.
At West Ham tube station, commuters were filmed making snowballs and throwing them at their fellow travellers on the other side of the platform.
Families went sledding and swimmers braved freezing dips in the water as they took full advantage of the rare conditions.
The Met Office has warned of more travel chaos to come as heavy snowfall overnight turns into icy conditions and freezing fog descends, sparking severe disruption on roads, railways and runways, as well as forcing thousands of schools to shut.
Snow and ice weather warnings are in force from the Met Office across northern Scotland, southeast and eastern England.
Fog and ice warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, for much of England and parts of Wales, as much of the UK will struggle to get above freezing on Monday.
In parts of the southeast of England there was significant snowfall overnight, with wintry showers combining with the freezing temperatures causing icy conditions.
Leo, eight, slides down a hill in the snow as the cold weather continue in Hertford today
Two friends enjoy a laugh together in the snow in Hertford as temperatures continue to fall across Britain
A swimmer braves a dip in Serpentine lake, surrounded by white snow, as the cold weather continues in London
People walk through the snow in London’s Greenwich Park this morning, with cold wintry conditions set to continue for days
A person skis in the snow at Greenwich Park, London as snow and ice have swept across parts of the UK, with cold wintry conditions set to continue for days
The National Grid has asked two of its coal-fired power stations to start firing up as freezing weather conditions heap pressure on the UK’s power network.
National Grid said it had asked the winter ‘contingency’ plants to prepare for operation to ‘give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply’.
It said the move means the coal-fired stations can be used as ‘tools for additional contingency’ as needed to allow the network to run as usual and stressed that people ‘should continue to use energy as normal’.
The warnings come as four children remain in a critical condition in hospital after falling through ice on a frozen lake in Solihull, West Midlands, on Sunday.