Britons should brace for the Big Chill to continue as forecasters warn freezing temperatures could drop to the lowest in almost a decade.

Plummeting thermometers are set to record lows of minus 16C (3.2F) over Saturday night into Sunday as the cold snap continued, the Met Office said.

Forecaster Simon Partridge warned that snow which has been lying on the ground, and has since partially melted, will refreeze as the temperature drops, causing icy conditions.

“Tonight is a pretty dry night, dry with a lot of clear spells which means it is going to be a very cold night as well,” he said.

“The showers (of sleet, rain and snow) we have got across East Anglia at the moment will drift offshore overnight.”

Partridge said there is the potential for the mercury to drop as low as minus 10C in southern England, with a potential of minus 16C in eastern Scotland.

“If that happens it would make it the coldest night since 2010,” he said.

“But there is cloud coming from the West overnight over Scotland, so if it gets in fast enough it might just stop it getting quite that low.”

He said average overnight temperatures in February are around 1-2C for southern England, with Scotland usually hovering around minus 3C.

It came after motorists were stranded once again overnight as heavy snow blanketed roads and the wintry weather brought traffic to a standstill.

Sleet and snow continued across the early hours of Saturday morning impacting highways across Kent and Hampshire, and causing treacherous conditions.

There were reports of drivers stuck past midnight on some routes, with issues reported on the A21, A229 and A249 in Kent, as well as the A339, A30 and M3 in Hampshire.

One motorist who gave his name as Joey told the BBC he was “forced to eat snow off the roof of his car” after he became trapped on the M3.

It was less chilly over Friday night and into Saturday morning – with temperatures dipping to minus 8.3C (17F) at their lowest, which was recorded at Shap in Cumbria.

Although Cornwall and parts of the South East that were heavily hit over Thursday night and Friday are not expected to see any more showers, drivers were warned to beware of ice roads caused by lingering snow.

On Friday, a dump of up to 14 cm of snow caused havoc in the South West, forcing motorists to abandon their cars and seek shelter as traffic stood still.

Travellers were hit by long delays and schools closed their doors as February began with the coldest night for seven years.

By Friday evening, RAF Odiham in Hampshire had recorded 19cm of snow.

The closures included more than half of Bristol’s schools, more than 300 in Buckinghamshire, more than 150 in Cornwall and scores across Oxfordshire.

Most flights were cancelled from a snow-covered Bristol Airport on Friday, but normal service is expected on Saturday.

Most councils have implemented cold weather plans to house the homeless, with hundreds of temporary beds made available.