Germany's Civil Protection Office (BBK) says heavy snowfalls expected on January 9 could trigger local power cuts and severely disrupt public transport. The snow is already more than 30cm deep on the isle of Ruegen, off Germany's Baltic coast, ZDF TV says.

In Switzerland, heavy snow has cut the flow of lorries through Alpine tunnels.

The busy Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels were temporarily closed to heavy goods vehicles on Friday, the Swissinfo news website reported.

In the UK, the worst winter for decades has led to a fear for energy supplies as temperatures dropped to -22⁰C.

In cities like Duesseldorf, Red Cross workers were setting up heated tents for emergency accommodation as up to 10 homeless people have frozen to death in recent weeks because of the cold weather.

In the Netherlands, icebreakers have been deployed to clear shipping routes such as the Twente canal, the harbours of Almelo and Enschede and the Ijsselmeer inland sea.

Northern Spain is expecting more heavy snowfalls while the country's south has been hit by severe floods.

France is also bracing for more snow as Meteo France warned: "The amount of snow expected is significant, exceptional even".