-M25 grinds to a halt with some cars in gridlock for hours
-200 flights will not take off today to 'minimise disruption to passengers'
-18,000 travellers could be affected by possible freezing fog at the airport
-Britain on amber alert - the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning
By CHRISTOPHER LEAKE, RUSSELL MYERS and TED THORNHILL
Silhouettes against the snow: Children with their sledges make the most of the white stuff at Burrington Hill in Scunthorpe, LincolnshireWe've had the big snowfall, now it's the turn of the big freeze, with parts of the UK set to endure bitterly cold nights until Thursday, which could lead to dangerously icy travelling conditions.
The mercury will hover between 0 and -3C for large parts of eastern and southeastern England and Scotland, with a thaw not likely to come until later in the week, according to the Met Office.
It warns that outbreaks of showery rain will 'heighten the risk of ice' in these areas.
Soldiers from the Household Cavalry march through snow along The Mall in London on Sunday
On the slopes: Thrill seekers make use of the hills at Hampstead Heath with hundreds of families flocking to the green space in north London to enjoy the snow
In a flap over the weather: Seagulls sit on a snowy railing next to the London Eye 
Ice to see you: Springer Spaniel Tilly gets her first taste of snow after heavy falls in Essex, left, while Geese feed in a frozen lake in Johnstonebridge, Scotland, rightMore than six inches of snow fell yesterday and throughout the night bringing travel chaos to parts of Britain, with 100 vehicles stranded on the M40, huge tailbacks on the M25, hundreds of flights cancelled and severe disruption to train and Tube services.
Flurries fell over Scotland, northern England and the Midlands yesterday before moving down to London and East Anglia.
A spokesman for the Met Office said that an amber warning of icy conditions which was in force for many areas of England earlier today had been replaced by a 'less significant' yellow warning.
People from across the country will be revelling in the snow. Pictured here is a man with his child as they slide down a slope in a park in CroydonPeople are being warned to 'be aware' that there could be icy stretches of road. Much of England remains under a cold weather alert of level 3, which warns of '100 per cent probability' of severe cold weather and icy conditions.
The south experienced the worst travel misery with around 100 vehicles stuck on the M40 for several hours between junction four at High Wycombe and junction nine at Bicester. They only got moving again after snow ploughs came to the rescue.
Motorists Katie Jones told BBC News: ‘We were stationary for about seven and a half hours. We passed cars abandoned in the side of the road, having crashed off. We passed lorries jack knifed across two, three lanes of the motorway and it's been impassable in large part.’
Snow fun: Families toboggan at Bradgate Park in Newton Linford (left) while others take to the slopes near Selby in North Yorkshire (right)
We've a nagging feeling he's having fun: A horse rolls in the snow at a livery in Henton, Oxfordshire, this morningBad weather also caused traffic to grind to a standstill on parts of the M25.
Tom Jones, who was stuck for more than seven hours in the gridlock, told the BBC there was a ‘nose-to-tail standstill’ on sections of the motorway in Hertfordshire as he tried to make his way home to Harrow in north-west London.
‘We joined the back of a tailback, never realising we would be spending the night on the motorway,’ he said.
‘Everybody has been in here for a lot longer than they expected.’
N-ice weather for ducks: A frozen stream is no obstacle for these feathered friends (left) while (right) 10-year-old schoolgirls Hannah Docherty (left) and Mayra Vila build a snow Queen in the grounds of Windsor Great park, with the castle in the background, to mark the Monarch's 60th jubilee
It's a slippery slope: People enjoying the snow on Primrose Hill in London this morning
Incoming: One sledder in Newton Linford had his toboggan run interrupted by two dogs who jumped on him mid-flight, as this sequence of pictures show
Water sight: A reflection of St Stephen's Tower housing the Big Ben clock in London is seen in the river Thames surrounded by snow this morning
Cut off: This rural spot near York not only had a white-out to contend with, thick mist also turned to fog in the surrounding area
Making tracks: Staff at Ely station in Cambridge clear snow from the railway lines (left) while deer wander through the wintry landscape in London's Richmond Park
City spectacular: The dusting of snow gives York Minister a magical makeover in this stunning aerial shot of the historical city
Icy tomb: The driver of this Fiat had to be cut free by fire fighters and airlifted to hospital after the car skidded on early morning ice on the M1 motorway near Garforth in West YorkshireThe dangerous conditions on the roads were graphically illustrated at Crowborough in East Sussex, where a lorry jack-knifed, blocking the A26.
The Highways Agency said that overnight snow had cleared, but freezing temperatures remained in some areas.
A spokeswoman said: ‘Our winter fleet is out spreading salt and ploughing lying snow, and we are working around the clock to keep the motorways and other strategic roads in England open.
‘Drivers are advised to pay particular care at locations where local conditions such as slopes, bends or overhanging trees could create an increased risk of slippery road conditions.
‘It is still necessary to drive with care, even after road surfaces have been treated with salt.’
Chilly: A woman carries her shopping through Great Chart near Ashford, Kent, following heavy snowfall
Rolling in the white stuff: Two dogs play around in the snow on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk (left) while families check out a frozen waterfall in the Brecon Beacons National Park (right) source: dailymail
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