'Beast from the east' continues to seriously disrupt Britain

Giant waves crash over Souter Lighthouse in South Shields in Tynemouth, England, as extreme weather has continued to wreak havoc across the UK. Photo / AP

The wild weather affecting Britain will continue into the weekend as Storm Emma continues to bring heavy rain, snow and high seas in the wake of serious disruption caused by the so-called "beast from the East" weather front.

In southeast London commuters took matters into their own hands, pressing the emergency door release and getting out onto the tracks when their train was held outside the station. As a result, all lines through Lewisham station were blocked.

Southeastern Railway said the situation was getting worse "because several people are jumping off trains onto the tracks", warning that it would only cause further delays.

A number of cars were caught up in a pile-up in Devon, with five to 10 vehicles involved in a collision on the A38 westbound between the A380 and the B3344. Around 30 vehicles behind became stuck in a lane due to the weather conditions, but they have since been able to move on.

Elsewhere in the county police have told villagers at the coast to board up their homes and evacuate if they can as Storm Emma hits.

Freezing rain could pose the next deadly threat of the storm, the Met Office has warned, because it is creating invisible sheet ice that is impervious to gritting.

Although in some parts of the country it may look like the snowfall is over, it is highly likely any rainfall will be freezing rain and will result in dangerous road conditions.

The empty M62 motorway near junction 24 after the road was closed between junctions 21 and 24, in Northern England. Photo / AP

This comes as snow continues to affect a large part of the country, after hundreds of people were trapped on freezing trains overnight as railways froze. Some resorted to sleeping on luggage racks, and many complained they were not given water for hours.

Southeastern, which operates in Kent, East Sussex and London, suspended all services for a time as the weather hindered trains connecting with the conductor rail, while South West Trains planned to terminate services early on Friday night.

People were also stuck in their cars overnight due to the 'apocalyptic' snow which hit the motorways and railways across the country.

The military was drafted in to rescue people from their vehicles, and some were only able to leave their cars this morning.

The Met Office has warned of treacherous conditions caused by freezing rain which creates invisible sheet ice. This weather is hitting all parts of the UK and can cause deadly conditions on the road.

Some of the communities which were worst-hit by the snow are due to be battered by floods, as strong waves are already breaking coastal defences and sea walls. Gale force 9 winds and 20-foot high waves have been predicted by the Environment Agency.

A deadly combination of the so-called Beast from the East and Storm Emma has caused blizzards and drifting snow in some parts of the country.

Parts of England and the whole of Scotland, Ireland and Wales, have been advised not to travel unless it is absolutely urgent because of risks to life caused by the weather.

The Met Office has announced that the UK has officially broken its record for the lowest maximum temperature for March in a 24 hour period. Tredegar in Wales didn't get above -4.7C all day.

This beats the previous record, set in 2001 when Cassley in Sunderland was -4.6C all day.

In Hampshire, police declared a "major incident" on Thursday night as motorists were stranded for several hours on the A31. By Friday morning the force said some traffic was moving again but officers were still trying to clear trapped cars and recover abandoned vehicles.

Snow on Bournemouth beach in Dorset, England. The big freeze caused travel chaos throughout the country with hundreds of flights cancelled at Heathrow Airport. Photo / AP

In Greater Manchester, dozens of volunteers battled through snow to take supplies to people stranded on the M62 motorway for more than 10 hours. Police said wind speeds over the Rakewood Viaduct in Greater Manchester had reached 90mph.

In the southwest of England, which was issued a rare red weather warning, police said they were carrying out a "rescue operation" to help people stuck in their vehicles across Somerset, including about 100 vehicles trapped in snow on the A303 at Ilminster.

The red warning - the second issued by the Met Office in 24 hours - expired at 2am, but amber warnings for snow are still in place for much of Scotland, the North East of England, and parts of Northern Ireland, running until 10am, and for wind and snow in south western parts of the UK until 8am.

Up to 50cm of snow was forecast over parts of Dartmoor, Exmoor and south east Wales.

Yellow warnings for snow are also in place for vast swathes of the country for the whole day, while a yellow warning for wind covers the North East of England and Wales until midday.

Thousands of homes were without electricity in the northwest of England as temperatures remain sub-zero with bitter gales blowing.

Some areas of Devon and Cornwall were cut off due by snow and ice on roads, with the two counties now facing storm winds and flooding.

Police have asked villagers in coastal Devon to voluntarily evacuate if they are able, despite the warnings about road conditions issued still staying in place.

High tides and strong waves decimated parts of the coast, causing structures to fall into the sea, severely damaging roads and cutting off some villages.

Many regions in the UK have been warned not to make journeys unless completely necessary because of the treacherous conditions.

Train services were cancelled and delayed across nearly all operators on Friday, with many urging passengers no to attempt to make journeys.

Rail operator Southeastern urged passengers not to travel anywhere on its network until further notice.

The impact of the weather on flight schedules has been even more severe today with over a thousand flights cancelled.

Heathrow, the world's busiest two-runway airport, will see at least 322 departing or arriving flights cancelled, representing a quarter of all scheduled services.