No respite as UK hit by coldest night of winter
FROZEN BRITAIN 
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Special report: Frozen Britain
The UK has suffered its coldest night of the winter so far with temperatures plummeting to -22.3C (-8.1F) in a village in Sutherland in the Highlands.
Overnight temperatures of -10C (14F) were widespread, leaving commuters again battling icy roads and pavements amid "stretched" road salt supplies.
Many schools remain shut, with rail and air travel again hit by delays. Fresh snow is falling in eastern England.
The weekend could be colder, as another week of Arctic conditions is forecast.
Thousands of schools remain shut, with warnings that some exam candidates could have to wait five months to sit GCSE and A-level modules in England, Wales and Northern Ireland if weather prevents them taking them next week.
Exams watchdog Ofqual said in cases where candidates would not have a second chance to sit papers in the summer, applications could be made for "special consideration".
This involves pupils disadvantaged by circumstances being awarded up to an extra 5% of the maximum marks.
Milk deliveries have also been disrupted, with tankers struggling to reach dairy farms.
Some farmers have had to dump supplies as few have storage facilities to hold more than a day's stock.
Hardy swimmers take the plunge in icy water at the Serpentine in London
Easyjet has cancelled about 30 flights at airports including Gatwick, Liverpool, Belfast and Stansted, while Norwich Airport has been closed.
British Airways said passengers should check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport.
Passengers at Heathrow airport have reported experiencing a lack of staff and delays in getting their baggage.
British Airways claimed it was widespread across Heathrow, not just affecting BA, although the airport said it was restricted to Terminal 5.
Train companies operating revised timetables include East Coast, ScotRail, First Great Western, South West Trains, Southern and Southeastern.
The breakdown of a train travelling from Brussels to London in the Channel Tunnel on Thursday has affected Eurostar services.
Supplies of road grit are close to running out in some areas, and many councils are restricting gritting to just major roads.
The Local Government Association admitted reserves were "stretched", while the government is helping suppliers prioritise areas most in need.
WEATHER AND TRAVEL INFO Get the latest on school closures and travel problems via your BBC Local website
Check if snow is forecast in your area at BBC Weather
Details of motorway and local road closures and public transport disruption are available at BBC Travel News
For advice on handling difficult driving conditions, see the Highways Agency website
For information about severe weather warnings, see the Met Office website
For information about staying healthy in the current cold snap, see the NHS Winter Health website
Two lanes of the A1(M) in County Durham had to be shut on Friday morning after a lorry jackknifed near Carville.
Meanwhile, snow and ice forced the closure of a lane of the M58 near Kirkby in Merseyside and one in each direction on the M48 Severn Bridge.
Poor conditions have also closed the A4051 Bwlch Mountain Road, near Merthyr Tydfil, and the A542 Horsehoe Pass near Llangollen, Clwyd.
Meanwhile, 27 firms - 12 in the East Midlands and 15 in the North West - are still using alternative fuels after National Grid told them to turn off their gas supply, with demand for energy soaring.
At one stage on Thursday, 95 major firms were affected.
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn insisted there were "plenty of supplies" of gas, with storage about 70% full.
He said firms affected were on special contracts - paying less but losing supplies when demand was high - and that there was no need for domestic customers to worry.
Of some 5,000 homes in southern England which were without power throughout Thursday, all but "a few hundred" were reconnected overnight, energy suppliers said.
School closures
Up to 25,000 homes across the UK have been affected by power cuts since Wednesday, mostly because of trees bringing down electricity lines or ice weighing down power cables and triggering safety cut-offs.
Temperatures barely rose above freezing on Thursday, remaining between -8C and 0C in most parts of the UK.
The UK overnight low was recorded at Altnaharra, Sutherland. Others included -16.4C (2.5F) in Woodford, Cheshire, -14.7 (5.5F) in Sennybridge, Powys, and -10 (14F) at Aldergrove near Belfast.
The lowest ever recorded temperature in the UK was -27.2C (-17F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in 1895 and 1982, and in Altnaharra in 1995.
Temperatures are expected to stay around freezing throughout Friday, with the treacherous conditions causing many schools to remain shut. They include:
- At least 660 - more than a third of the total - in Wales and about 17 in Northern Ireland
- All schools in the Borders, Highland and West Lothian council areas, along with most in Aberdeenshire and Moray
- More than 630 in north-western England, at least 160 in Yorkshire, 400 in the north-east of England and 150 across Humberside and Lincolnshire
- Around 650 in the South West, nearly 2,000 in southern central England, 350 in Essex, 450 in Kent and 600 in East Anglia
Major disruption has already been caused to the sporting programme over the weekend.
Four matches in football's Championship have been called off, and only three fixtures survive in Leagues One and Two. Ten Scottish Cup games have fallen victim to the weather.
Horse racing and rugby union fixtures have also been hit.
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