Ireland is gripped by a big freeze, with fears temperatures could plummet as low as -12C as the cold weather intensifies. Several areas across the country are already blanketed in snow - with more on the way.

Met Eireann says the bitter cold is expected to persist through the rest of the working week. It has extended a nationwide Status Yellow low temperature and ice warning until midnight on Friday, which details the risk of "very cold nights with widespread frost, ice and lying snow, and temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day", making for dangerous travelling conditions.

Weather models on the national forecaster's website predict that the mercury could drop to a bone-chilling -12C in some areas during the early hours of Thursday morning, raising concerns that the current Status Yellow warning may need to be upgraded to Status Orange due to the severity of the conditions.

As the cold snap continues, the public is being advised to take extra precautions when travelling and to stay updated on the latest weather warnings for their areas.

Deputy Head of Forecasting Liz Coleman said: “This prolonged cold spell will bring very hazardous conditions over the next few days with no real opportunity for melt of significant lying snow. Given there has been a lot of snow over the weekend, as well as rain which has now frozen, there will be really dangerous conditions on the roads. The icy conditions will be particularly impactful for some road users, such as cyclists and motorcyclists, so alternative travel should be considered if possible. Really slippery on footpaths too so tricky conditions underfoot. We’d ask the public give extra time for any travel that they have to make.”

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