'Winter has taken control': Storm Emma is in charge as Britain goes into red alert

Britain is facing a serious flooding threat as Storm Emma batters the coast after sub-zero weather, icy blasts and 'blizzard-like' conditions left drivers stranded for more than 13 hours and airport passengers stuck overnight.

The Met Office has put England under an unprecedented red warning for snow, amid concerns that up to 1ft 8in could fall in the South West. At Glasgow Airport, British Red Cross workers provided blankets for stranded people.

A man clears snow from a car in Larbert, Scotland.

More than 500 flights have been cancelled in England and Scotland so far, including 157 at London Heathrow, 129 at Edinburgh, 77 at London Gatwick, 67 at London City and 48 at Bristol. A further 194 were cancelled at Dublin.

The Environment Agency has activated five flood warnings urging the public to take 'immediate action', with two in Cornwall, one at Swanage in Dorset, and others for the Tyne Estuary and one for the North Sea at Whitley Bay.

A further 16 flood alerts telling people to 'be prepared' have been issued across South West and North East England, with officials warning of wave overtopping due to strong winds combined with high tides.

Royal Air Force drivers from No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron based at RAF Wittering in Peterborough have been helping the emergency services and doctors in Lincolnshire deliver aid to vulnerable people in the county.

Ice climbers on the downfall at Kinder Downfall, High Peak in Derbyshire.

Storm Emma, rolling in from the Atlantic, is meeting the Beast from the East's chilly Russia air - causing further widespread snowfall and bitter temperatures after the mercury fell as low as -16C (3F) last night.

On the first day of meteorological spring today, temperatures will fall to -11C (12F) in the daytime as the Met Office said 'winter is still firmly in charge across the UK' - and London Paddington station was closed due to icy platforms.