Drivers in Scotland and northern England have been advised not to travel with snow storms due to arrive later this morning while motorists elsewhere have been advised to venture out with “extreme caution”.

Last night's "do not travel" warning is believed to have been the first issued since the high winds of January 2013.

Meanwhile yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in place across large parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

UK Power Networks said more than 5,000 customers were affected by power cuts in the Great Yarmouth area with hundreds more homes impacted across the east of England, while emergency services across the country have reported receiving calls about weather-related incidents.

Gusts in Aberdaron in Wales reached a staggering 78mph on Wednesday night, while Liscombe in Somerset, which is not usually considered a windy site, recorded gusts of 74mph.

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The shocking weather prompted comparisons with the Great Storm of 1987, which caused £2billion (£5.16billion today) worth of damage and claimed the lives of 22 people.

Britons were told not to worry about the incoming storm in a now notorious gaffe from BBC weatherman Michael Fish.

The Dartford Crossing bridge in Kent remains closed due to high winds and motorists across other parts of the country have been urged to check the state of the roads before heading out.

Meterologist Alex Burkill said: "It's going to be a cold and blustery day with further showers especially in the north and west.

"There is likely to be disruption to travel so before you had head out, it's worth taking a look at the state of the roads you will be travelling on.

"There is a risk you could be held up and delayed and if you think that's possible, make sure you have essentials with you such as coats, water and food in case you get held up for several hours."

Emergency services in Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire, all reported fallen trees and urged people to take extra care.

Poor weather conditions are also affecting railways in the Midlands, with overhead electric wires damaged between Wolverhampton and Stafford.

Rail passengers are being warned to expect delays to and from Manchester Piccadilly, between Birmingham New Street and Crewe, through Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Redditch.

At least 30 vehicles are stuck on the A19 northbound, near Hartlepool, as heavy snow showers hit the region.

Police are at the scene but delays are expected to remain for some time due to snow ploughs not being able to get through

The winds blew the entire gable end off a property in Stoke Heath, Coventry. Fortunately, no one was injured.

During the night, temperatures dropped at low as -7C (19F) in Loch Glascarnoch while snowfalls continued to be topped up.

Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway recorded up 36cm of lying snow, while Spadeadam in Cumbria, which escaped much of the snow on Wednesday, now has 23cm of snow - with up to 20cm falling on Wednesday night alone.

Superintendent Calum Glenny said: "Despite some difficult weather conditions in the Dumfries and Galloway area which caused some disruption, the weather was not as severe as was first forecast.

"Thankfully, a significant number of motorists heeded the warnings which had been issued to avoid travelling on the roads and I'd like to thank them for doing so."

Dozens of schools have closed in Scotland while rural communities have been warned that power cuts are likely.

National Rail reported widespread weather-related delays, including disruption caused by a train hitting a tree near Lower Sydenham in south-east London, and another service colliding with a fence on the line near Sheerness-on-Sea in Kent.

A tree also fell onto the line in the Deal area of Kent, while a freight train struck two sheds that had blown on to the railway between Newtown and Welshpool in Wales.

In a series of tweets outlining the problems, National Rail said level crossing barriers between Chester and Wrexham had been damaged by high winds, with replacement road transport running between Chester and Shrewsbury.

Meanwhile, damage to overhead power cables blocked lines between Colchester and Ipswich, and Birmingham and Redditch.

Poor weather conditions also delayed journeys to and from London's King's Cross station after an object was caught in the overhead electric wires between Peterborough and Stevenage.