The videos below show the weather around Britain

A66, Durham Hexham Blackpool St Kilda

Felixstowe A1, Wetherby Wales

Stranded cars

Durham police launched a rescue operation after at least 150 motorists became stuck in snow on the A66.

A coach carrying 40 pensioners was among the vehicles stranded on the A66. They were all taken to a local hotel.

Snow at Hexham

Heavy snow has fallen across parts of the north-east with many schools closing early to allow pupils to get home.

Hexham racecourse in Northumberland has been covered in a blanket of snow with expected across the region this weekend.

Rescue operation

Passengers and crew have been airlifted to safety after a ferry ran aground just off the coast at Blackpool.

The roll-on roll-off ferry ran into trouble in high winds in the Irish Sea - its owners have launched a salvage operation.

Trawler rescue

A helicopter winched 14 people to safety from a stricken trawler off St Kilda.

The Spanish crew of the British-registered Spinningdale trawler were flown to Stornoway.

The sea at Felixstowe

High winds have produced choppy seas at the port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

Gusty winds of up to 69 knots were recorded in the English Channel off the coast of Kent and Sussex.

Crates on the A1

Strong winds have been causing travel chaos across Britain.

The A1 near Wetherby was closed after gales blew wooden pallets off a lorry onto the carriageway below.

Crashing waves

Strong winds and rain are causing problems across Wales with schools closed and ferries cancelled.

A power failure in Gwynedd has left at least 1,000 homes without electricity.