Snowstorms were sweeping across the country last night as Britain faced the prospect of a freeze lasting for weeks.

Arctic weather brought the North to a virtual standstill under eight inches of snow yesterday and 16 inches was forecast for parts of the South overnight.

Massive disruption hit roads, railways and airports, more than 1,000 schools closed and there were fears that supplies of gas and grit were running out.

But millions of people struggled to work and back again and Gordon Brown insisted: ‘We can cope’. The Met Office had issued an emergency ‘extreme weather warning’ as a weather front straight from the Arctic swept across the country, taking temperatures as low as -14c.

Millions were caught up in chaos across the north of England and Scotland, which forecasters said would spread to the South today in what is already the longest cold spell since 1981. They warned that the freeze could go on for at least another 15 days, making it the worst for a century.

Police warned people to stay at home unless their journey was vital as they prepared for countrywide disruption.

With customers using gas at near-record levels, the National Grid issued a red alert that demand was outstripping supply

Read more: Daily Mail