Snow and ice is taking its toll on the UK again, with transport disrupted and sports fixtures called off - and weather forecasters said there was no early thaw in sight.
They warned that more heavy snow was sweeping large parts of the country.
Bitter winds from northern Europe meant the big freeze felt even colder after temperatures fell overnight to minus 14C (7F) in Cumbria and minus 14.5C (6F) in Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire, Scotland. Elsewhere around the UK they were solidly below freezing - minus 7C (19F) in Manchester, minus 6C (21F) in Cardiff and minus 2C (28F) in London.
Conditions were expected to be freezing virtually everywhere during the day, but forecasters said it would feel much colder because of icy blasts sweeping in from Scandinavia and Germany.
As the coldest spell for more than 30 years drags on, some of this weekend's biggest sports events joined the growing list of weather-related casualties. Seven Premier League games have been called off - at Wigan, Sunderland, Fulham, Hull and Burnley on Saturday and Liverpool and West Ham on Sunday - with other league games, horse racing meetings and rugby union matches also postponed.
Grit and gas supplies are also faltering, with more disruption affecting rail, road and air travel.
Heavy snow in Ireland led to Dublin Airport suspending all flights. Flights were also diverted and delayed at Belfast's George Best Airport while nine easyJet flights were cancelled to and from UK airports including Gatwick and Luton. British Airways cancelled around 50 flights from Heathrow.
Train passengers experienced delays and cancellations on some routes, although more operators planned to run a normal weekend service. Eurostar was running around two-thirds of its normal Saturday service from London, a spokeswoman said.
Council leaders also agreed to reduce their use of grit by a quarter to eke out supplies. The Highways Agency has already stopped treating hard shoulders. The University of Southampton said that it would close on Monday because it had no grit. The Government has ordered salt from abroad but this is not due to arrive until January 21.
Meanwhile, police have asked for help to trace a keen mountain-walker who has gone missing in the Lake District. Steven Bailey, 51, from Ambleside, Cumbria, was last seen on Tuesday in Windermere but has not been seen or made contact with anyone since. He is 6'1" tall, of an athletic build with balding grey hair.
