In Pictures: Floods and heavy snow as winter arrives with a vengeance

A snow plough and gritting lorry clears snow at Ribblehead, in North Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA) - (PA Wire)

Heavy snow and freezing rain have hit large parts of the UK, leaving stranded vehicles on the roads and delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.

There is likely to be a week-long spell of wintry conditions, the Met Office has said.