Thousands of railway passengers had to spend the night in trains in Germany as snow paralysed many high-speed inter-city routes.

Flights were disrupted in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

In Poland, 18 people have died from exposure over the past two days.

Most were homeless people under the influence of alcohol, a police spokesman said.

Cold air moving down from Siberia has contributed to the wintry conditions in northern Europe.

Temperatures are an average 5-10C below average in some major cities.