Heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures have caused several deaths, the closure of hundreds of schools and the cancellation of dozens of flights and train services across the United Kingdom.

Drivers are being warned of hazardous conditions on roads as more heavy snowfall hits parts of the UK on Tuesday. Three people died following a crash in Lincolnshire while one man was killed in a crash in Cambridgeshire.

The cold weather and snow, known as ‘the beast from the east’, were caused by a heatwave over the Arctic, which has seen temperatures there more than 20 degrees higher than normal, and is expected to persist until the end of the week.

In the South and East of England, Kent, Surrey, Suffolk and Sussex have had 10 cm of snow while Northeast England has seen up to 8 cm. The UK Meteorological Office forecasts that up to 40 cm of snow could fall in Northeast England and Scotland between Wednesday morning and Thursday lunchtime.

The UK is experiencing the coldest week of the winter. The Met Office has put ‘amber warnings’ in parts of England experiencing the coldest weather, meaning these areas have a possible risk to life and property.

Scotland’s transport minister Humza Yousaf warned some of these amber warnings could be upgraded to red warnings — meaning “extreme weather is expected”.

Public Health England said people should prepare for a “significant and prolonged period of wintry weather”.

Thomas Waite, of Public Health England’s extreme events team, said young children, those aged over 65, or those with heart or lung conditions should be particularly taken care of during such weather.

“Cold temperatures, indoors and out, pose real health risks to many and every winter we know that thousands of people get ill and even die following exposure to cold conditions,” said Waite.

Temperatures dropped well below freezing on Monday night, with Northern Ireland, Southwest England and East Anglia logging figures as low as -6 C. The lowest temperature of -8.9 C was recorded in Farnborough, Hampshire.

BBC Weather meteorologist Gemma Plumb said the weather is expected to become colder on Wednesday and Thursday, with the highest temperature in lots of areas remaining below freezing.

Train company Southeastern, which operates in Kent, has cancelled dozens of services, including several to London St Pancras, London Victoria and Cannon Street, while other companies affected include Southern, Greater Anglia and Great Northern.