UK households in some parts of the country have been urged to stock up on essential items such as torches and batteries before midday on Friday. Britain is bracing for heavy snow and bitterly cold weather over the coming days, with several major cities forecast to be impacted.

But the Met Office has issued rare Amber weather warnings for snow spanning 24 hours from 12pm tomorrow (January 2) until 12pm on Saturday. These weather warnings affect Central, Tayside & Fife (Angus, Perth, and Kinross), Grampian (Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray), and Highlands & Eilean Siar (Highland). Travel delays on roads are likely, with the possibility of vehicles and passengers becoming stranded, and rail and air travel are likely to be hit by some delays and cancellations. Power cuts are possible, and there is a "good chance" some rural communities could become cut off.

The Met Office Amber warnings state: "Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, so to keep yourself and others safe: plan your route, checking for delays and road closures, amending your travel plans if necessary.

"If driving, leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off; make sure you have essentials packed in your car in the event of any delays (warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de-icer, a warning triangle, a high visibility vest, and an in-car phone charger).

"People cope better when they have prepared in advance for the risk of power cuts or being cut off from services and amenities due to the snow.

"It's easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack, and other essential items."

The Amber weather warnings state that heavy snow showers will become "more frequent and may merge to give longer spells of snow at times."

Further accumulations of "10-20cm are likely at low levels with 30-40cm possible on high ground".

Windy conditions will also result in some drifting of snow and temporary blizzard conditions.