Residents of the most populated part of Scotland were advised to stay home on Wednesday as the United Kingdom continued to be badly affected by snow and cold weather.

The UK's Met Office issued a red alert for snow in the area between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the first time it has done so in Scotland and only the first time in the UK since 2010.

The warning means that businesses should stay closed and people should avoid all travel.

The warning stated: "Roads will become blocked by deep snow, with many stranded vehicles and passengers. Long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and air travel are expected. Some communities could become cut off for several days. Long interruptions to power supplies and other services."

Elsewhere in the UK, travel was disrupted by snow, ice and cold winds that are expected to continue and deteriorate in certain areas.

Temperatures fell to－12 centigrade in some rural areas while forecasters warned of up to 40 centimeters of snow in higher areas of the UK.

Ireland, meanwhile, was preparing for its worst snow since 1982.

Schools and roads were closed in many parts of the country.

The Irish Met Office also warned that the most of the country would be hit by snowfall and blizzards on Thursday and Friday.

The cold snap has been caused by a heatwave over the Arctic which has seen temperatures at more than 20 C higher than normal.

Conditions in the UK and Ireland have been exacerbated by the arrival of Atlantic Storm Emma from the west, which will collide with cold air from the north and east.

Four people died on Tuesday in car accidents but there were no reports of fatal accidents on Wednesday as drivers heeded warnings to avoid all but essential journeys.

It was even bad news for skiers. A ski center was forced to close because there was too much snow. Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre in Gillingham, Kent, shut on Wednesday "due to weather conditions".

In a post on its Facebook page, it said: "Centre currently closed as we have an inaccessible car park and we have to be able to have emergency vehicle access and staff are struggling to get to site."