In Pictures: UK 'deep freeze' spreads

A snow covered street in Crystal Palace, south London

People in the south-east of England were waking up to snowy scenes for the first time this year.

A train runs in the snow near Hunts Cross Station, Liverpool

Travellers face another day of chaos, with delays on roads, railways and at airports.

Traffic gridlocked in thick snow along the A3M at Horndean, Hampshire

There are problems on major routes across the UK, with heavy snow hampering traffic and causing accidents. On the A3M in Hampshire, military vehicles were called in to rescue trapped motorists. [Pic: Tracey Pereira]

A passenger settles down to sleep at London's Gatwick Airport.

Air travel has been severely disrupted with delays and cancellations inconveniencing passengers.

A man shovels snow in Carshalton Beeches, England

For anyone attempting to get to work by road the day began with the task of digging out the car...

A lorry drives up the near-deserted M4 at Chippenham

... But many drivers are heeding advice to stay off the roads for all but essential journeys. Parts of the M4 in Wiltshire were almost deserted during the usual morning rush.

It is not just humans affected by the severe winter weather. These swans in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, found their lake frozen over.

Parts of central southern England saw some of the heaviest overnight snowfall. While it has caused chaos, the weather also provided some beautiful scenes, like this at Chieveley in Berkshire.

Staff from a department store in Shiremoor, Newcastle take time out from clearing the car parks to have a snow fight

Whilst clearing a car park of snow in Newcastle workers found a few moments to have a snow fight.

With the weather forcing many schools to close children are putting their free time to good use and enjoying snowball fights...

Children play on a sledge in woods near Birkenhead in north-west England

...and sledging.

Players take to the pitch at the Britannia Stadium

The weather has wreaked havoc with the sporting calendar, with both Carling Cup semi-finals called off and National Hunt racing fixtures abandoned. Fulham's visit to Stoke City in the Premier League did go ahead.