Temperatures are at last beginning to rise after the UK has suffered days of icy blasts, strong winds and heavy snow – but don’t relax just yet.

Conditions are set to remain perilous thanks to black ice and a high risk of coastal flooding, with the RAC warning people not drive unless necessary.

Yellow weather warnings for ice were in force in many areas of the country, mainly in Wales, central and eastern England, until 11am on Sunday.

The chief forecaster said: “A combination of low temperatures and surfaces likely to be wet, from earlier rain and snow or a partial thaw of lying snow, will lead to icy stretches forming on untreated surfaces.”

Yellow warnings were also in place in Scotland until Saturday night for snow, with places due to expect as much as 5-10cm.

Hundreds of homes also remain without power.

The weather has claimed 10 lives after two more deaths were recorded on Friday.

On the roads, major incidents were declared in a number of places, including Hampshire, Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall, with hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles.

Friday night saw train firms advise passengers not to travel while blizzard conditions crippled Britain’s transport network.

Train companies initially said services at some of Britain’s busiest stations would “wind down” gradually, but as reports of widespread delays and cancellations mounted, Southeastern was forced to advise customers to “stay overnight” if they could. Southwestern Railway followed soon after.

Southern said services would start later on Saturday and run to a revised timetable, while Southwestern Railway said some services would be changed, while there would be no trains operating between Southampton Central and Weymouth.

Disruption was seen across all major rail routes, including the West Coast and East Coast mainlines.

In Lewisham in south London, frustrations peaked when trains were held outside a station. According to the BBC, a number of passengers then proceeded to leave the train and walk down the tracks after complaining of being left for up to three hours without heating, lights or a toilet.

Southeastern had asked passenger to remain on board and said that they could have been killed by live tracks.

Trains on the line were running again by 10.20pm.

The military was once again called in to help rescue stranded motorists – with many reports of collisions and incidents on roads across Britain.

Earlier, some rail travellers were delayed after their train’s doors froze.

A driver on a London Northwestern service apologised to passengers travelling between London and Tring, Hertfordshire.

He said cold weather had caused the opening mechanisms on some doors to freeze.

The driver delayed departures from stations to give passengers time to find a door which was working.

The rail line at Dawlish on the south Devon coast has been closed after the sea wall was breached.

Flooding and debris blocked the line after up to 15 metres of fencing and stones were displaced, Network Rail said.

A “substantial amount” of ballast has also been washed across the track along 150 metres of the railway.

Scotrail said staff are working “night and day” to reopen lines, but in some areas the work of snow ploughs is being undone by more snow drifts after they pass.

By Saturday afternoon, the first cross-border train between England and Scotland was able to run. Trains had been suspended since Wednesday.

The West Coast mainline was also due to reopen.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are open for “business as usual” on Saturday, but some delays and cancellations still remain as weather disrupts travel across Europe.

More than 1,250 flights from UK airports have also been cancelled due to the weather.