Scottish ski slopes close because of too much snow as Britons brace for more icy travel chaos today

Ski resorts in Scotland have been forced to close after being buried in 6ft of snow as cold weather continues to sweep the UK, while thousands face another day of travel chaos this morning.

The Met Office has issued a series of yellow weather warnings across the country after temperatures plunged last night to well below freezing, with a high chance of more disruption on roads and railways.

The north of Scotland has seen the most dramatic winter conditions, with 14in of snow around Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.

Heavy snow has blocked the roads to at least two ski centres this morning as Cairngorm Mountain Resort and The Lecht Ski Centre were forced to close.

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The Cairngorm Mountain Resort in the Scottish Highlands was forced to close after snow drifts blocked the roads

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings in the north of Scotland, all of Wales, parts of Northern Ireland and the north-east and south-west of England

The Lecht, Scotland’s third largest ski centre, posted on social media: ‘All runs have new snow but it’s drifting in the strong winds. Access roads are closed. 

‘Ploughs are battling 6ft drifts so it’s going to take a lot of work to get them cleared. Next update tomorrow 9am.’ 

The UK experienced its coldest temperature this year overnight on Wednesday when Drumnadrochit by Loch Ness recorded -10.4C. 

Scotland also recorded the biggest snowfall of the year on Wednesday when 14in blanketed Loch Glascarnoch, between Inverness and Ullapool. 

In the Highlands 122 schools and nurseries were closed or partially closed, with 9,062 pupils affected. 

A yellow snow and ice warning, which took effect at 5pm yesterday and is to last until 10am , applies to parts of Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Orkney and Shetland. 

The Lecht Ski Centre (pictured on December 30) has proved popular thanks to the snowy conditions this winter, but was also forced to close last night

Much of the UK faces yet more travel chaos today in the freezing conditions. Pictured: Cheshire, yesterday

A cold snap this week has seen frosty and snowy weather across much of the country. Pictured: Bushy Park in south London yesterday 

Traffic Scotland said icy roads in areas affected by the warning will lead to ‘some challenging travelling conditions’. 

The A835 near Conon Bridge in Ross-shire was closed yesterday due to a pylon fire, while all lanes on the A9 at Kessock Bridge were restricted because of poor weather conditions. 

Network Rail Scotland said its maintenance teams were clearing 4ft high snowdrifts at Moy on the Highland main line. 

While conditions are expected to be calm over the weekend, today will remain cold and icy. 

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: ‘Friday night will see mild air moving in from the Northwest gradually moving southeastwards, bringing with it some rainfall. 

‘By Saturday daytime temperatures will rise to 7C (45F) in Glasgow and on Sunday they could reach 9C (48F) or 10C (50F).’