A planeload of 156 easyJet passengers had to spend an uncomfortable night at Liverpool Airport after their flight was cancelled due to Storm Arwen - while 60,000 homes were left without power as temperatures plunged as low as -9C on the coldest night of the year.
Mother-of-two Jodie McGeown, 34, who was trying to fly back to Belfast, said passengers were forced to wait around in the 'freezing' terminal after being told 'all the hotels in Liverpool were full'.
She told MailOnline: 'After checking in as normal, we were delayed for a long time at the gate and finally boarded at 11.30pm for a flight that was due to do at 8.30pm. We were told we had to wait for a de-icer to come so the aircon had to be turned off.
'We sat there for two more hours and the temperature was sweltering, then we were told we had to get off as the crew were out of time, so we were sent back to the airport which was now closed.
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The only place we could hang around was in the check-in area which was freezing with no seats. The brought some metal folding chairs and told us 'all the hotel rooms in Liverpool were full', which I don't believe for a second.'
Mrs McGeown, who had been in Liverpool for a friend's birthday party, said passengers raided the check-in desks for portable electric heaters and were given a meagre supply of snacks from vending machines which had been opened.
'It was like some kind of survival game,' she said. 'I didn't sleep a wink and I don't think anyone else did either.'
She said she was finally flown out on a flight early this morning. 'Finally we were flown out on the 6.40am flight, but all the poor passengers who were due to take that flight were bumped off and put on a later flight,' she said.
'We received an email from easyJet which offered us a hotel room at 3am – about 90 minutes before we had to check-in for the new flight – so even if there had been a room, no-one could have taken it. It was a complete s***show.'
Meanwhile passengers experienced a 'six-hour journey from hell' after they were stuck onboard a grounded Ryanair plane 'without food or water' at Birmingham Airport. They were trapped on board flight FR663 on the tarmac in Birmingham after 'bad weather prompted delays for the airline and handling agent Swissport' on Saturday.
Lucy Upton, 35, and Karen Paskin, 47, experienced a 'six-hour journey from hell' after they were stuck onboard a grounded Ryanair plane 'without food or water' at Birmingham Airport, according to Birmingham Live.
They had already switched their £800 flights to Portugal for an overnight trip to Dublin after hen do plans were cancelled due to Covid. Many parts of the country fell below freezing last night, with Shap in Cumbria the coldest place at -8.7C (16.3F). It was the coldest temperature there since February 11, when it got down to -11.6C (11.2F).
At the Tan Hill Inn, as the lock-in continued last night, the pub's general manager, Nicola Townsend, 51, said: 'It's just been lovely and everyone is in really good spirits... it's a really good atmosphere.
The Met Office has issued an ice warning for Britain today +42
'They've formed quite a friendship... like a big family is the best way I can describe it. One lady actually said 'I don't want to leave'.'
On Saturday evening, guests thanked the seven members of staff stuck inside with them by presenting them with a jar filled with around £300 in cash.
Yesterday, the pub laid on a traditional lunch before guests and staff work together to decorate the bar for Christmas and prepare for an evening of karaoke.
Ms Townsend, from Leyburn, said she feels many of those stranded - including herself - will stay in touch long after they have been freed.
Martin Overton, 44, travelled to the pub on Friday to watch Noasis and is staying in his campervan.
Mr Overton, a BBC rugby league commentator, said: 'I feel great... everyone is looking after each other. I have learned that when you come to the Tan Hill Inn, you need to take the forecast seriously.
'The place is very exposed... it is what makes it special but in future I will pack a few more warm clothes and a couple of shovels.'
Ms Townsend said they first realised they were trapped after a blizzard on Friday.
'The blizzards were horrendous, how the snow was drifting, it was going all the way up to almost the bedroom windows,' she said.
It came as more than 60 people cut off by 3ft of snow at Britain's highest pub have spent a third night there as bitter winds brought a chaotic start to the week across the country with temperatures dropping to as low as -8.7C (16.3F).
EasyJet said: 'We can confirm that flight EZY617 from Liverpool to Belfast yesterday 28 November was delayed overnight due to a shortage of de-icing trucks at Liverpool airport, which meant the aircraft was unable to be de-iced sufficiently to depart safely.
'While we did all possible to source some hotel accommodation, due to limited availability of hotel rooms in Liverpool we were unfortunately unable to provide hotel accommodation for all customers and those customers who were required to source their own accommodate were advised they would be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses, as well as for meals and refreshments.
'While this was outside of our control, we would like to apologise to passengers for the inconvenience experienced. The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority.'
The lock-in at the remote Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales is expected to end today after 61 staff, guests and musicians became trapped in the 17th-century hotel on Friday night following heavy snowfall during Storm Arwen.
Many guests have been sleeping on makeshift beds and mattresses on the floor, but they have been treated to films on a projector screen, a quiz night and a buffet meal - with some admitting they 'don't want to leave'.
Oasis tribute band Noasis has been providing musical entertainment as the group have been stranded since their gig on Friday at the historic pub - which at 1,732ft (528m) above sea level is the highest in the UK.
The pub's managers hope Northern Power engineers will today make safe the fallen cables that blocked the road out - but it comes as tens of thousands of households remain without electricity in the wake of Storm Arwen.
Parts of the UK have been blanketed as the storm claimed the lives of three people when trees were blown down and 100mph winds wreaked havoc, damaging buildings and causing disruption on roads and railways.
The Met Office issued ice warnings across the country this morning amid a widespread 'Arctic shot' and concerns that icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths would increase the chances of accidents.
At least 450,000 homes were without power in England, North Wales and Scotland - with 32,000 across the North East, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire enduring a third night in the dark along with almost 40,000 north of the Border.
There were no trains between Edinburgh and Newcastle, with London North Eastern Railway (LNER) saying it hoped to resume trains north of Tyneside later today after cancelling them late on Friday due to the storm.
Meanwhile the Premier League football match between Burnley and Tottenham Hotspur yesterday was called off little under an hour before kick-off with snow falling as fast as groundsmen could remove it.