HUNDREDS of houses were left without power in a major city as temperatures plummeted to -2C.
Brits have already been wrapping up warm to fight the arctic blast that has buffeted the UK in recent days.
And amid the bone-chilling conditions, more than 200 properties were left without power in Tameside, Manchester, on Sunday evening as the mercury plunged to sub-zero temperatures.
It was caused by an “unexpected incident with an underground cable” in the area, according to Electricity North West.
The company reported that the power cut was first logged at around 5pm, with restoration of electricity expected by around 11pm on Sunday.
Around 252 properties in parts of Tameside were hit at the worst possible time as the country continued to be held in an icy grip.
Properties were affected near to Mottram Road in the Hyde area.
Electricity North West said in a statement: “This power cut has been caused by an unexpected incident with the underground cable that provides electricity to your home or business.
“We didn’t know before your electricity went off that this was going to happen but now we know, rest assured we will get your power back on safely and as quickly as possible.
“Please note that all our timescales are estimated based on previous experience and may change if new information becomes available while our engineers are fixing the issue.
“With underground power cuts, we may need to dig to repair the cable and this can sometime extend the length of time you are without power.”
The Met Office issued an amber warning for snow across swathes of Scotland for Sunday which will remain in place overnight.
The alert covers areas including Aberdeen, Aviemore in the Cairngorms and Ullapool in Ross-shire, and expires on 10am on Monday.
Officials warned of heavy snow, major travel disruption and the risk of communities being cut off as the cold weather tightens its grip.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice remain in force across Wales, Greater Manchester and the South West.
Much of England’s east coast also faces icy conditions with yellow warnings in place there too.
A separate yellow warning also blankets much of Scotland north of Glasgow, lasting until midnight on Monday.
The snow warnings stretch across large parts of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire.
As well as Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides.
Forecasters predict that 5–10cm of snow at low levels could fall and a staggering 20–30cm of snow on higher ground in some areas.
The Met Office said those living in amber warning areas should expect serious disruption, with travel likely to be hit hard.
Flights could be cancelled and even mobile phone coverage may be affected, it warned.
