Forecasters have issued a string of severe weather warnings covering the
entire eastern half of the country.
There were warnings that night time temperatures could fall as low as -5C
(23F) in some rural areas from Scotland to East Anglia as an icy blast moved
in from the Arctic.
That placed parts of Britain on a footing with the Russian capital where -3C
(27F) was forecast, and several degrees colder than Oslo, Norway, where a
low of -1C (30F) was expected.
The forecast threatens transport chaos and forces millions of elderly people
to turn up the thermostat despite higher heating costs.
