SNOW caused the Championship top of the table match between Rangers and Hearts to be postponed at half-time as planes in and out of Glasgow delayed and cancelled due to the snow.

The game at Ibrox, the biggest in Scotland this weekend, was called off halfway through the first half, with tens of thousands of fans forced to trudge home.

A heavy flurry of snow 90 minutes before kick-off put the game in doubt but after inspecting the Ibrox surface, the referee gave it the green light to start.

However, with snow still coating the pitch and the players struggling to stay on their feet, Bobby Madden decided midway through the first half it was no longer safe to continue.

More than 20 gritters had been dispatched across Glasgow since 6.30pm but supporters still hit massive delays with snow falling from late afternoon and hitting rush-hour commuters.

There was also criticism of the local authority and other councils that they had acted too late, with the snow falling for several hours before gritting was carried out.

Transerv Scotland, which deals with highways in south west Scotland, said it had 26 gritters working around the clock to keep 22 major routes open.

The A76 near Cumnock and New Cumnock was closed because of snowy conditions as was the A751 at Stranraer.

Long queues developed on the M80 after three buses became stuck on the A806 towards Kirkintilloch.

The Erskine Bridge was closed southbound because of the conditions.

Police Scotland urged drivers across the Strathclyde region only to travel if their journey was necessary

Several planes heading to Glasgow Airport were unable to land and forced to circle the skies over the west of the country due to the heavy snow.

At one stage eight planes were circling in anticipation of landing at Glasgow, while flights from London, Tenerife and Belfast were among those diverted.

A spokesman said: "Glasgow Airport experienced a period of heavy snowfall and icy conditions. While the airport remained open, runway snow clearing and de-icing activity between flights caused some delays to aircraft arrival and departure schedules.

"A Jet 2 aircraft from Tenerife, a BA aircraft from London Heathrow and a Flybe all diverted to Edinburgh, three Easyjet aircraft diverted to Edinburgh and two Ryanair aircraft diverted, one to Newcastle and one to Prestwick."

First Bus services were also axed on residential roads across Glasgow.

Avalanches are expected to hit Scotland's mountains this weekend as more snow is forecast.

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) warned snow slips will occur in the northern Cairngorms, Lochaber and Glencoe.

Avalanches are also possible in the southern Cairngorms and Creag Meagaidh.

Temperatures plunged below freezing across large swathes of the UK, described by a spokeswoman for the Met Office as a case of "typical British winter weather".

Laura Young also warned it would not "really warm up in Scotland all weekend", adding there was strong potential for ice on Sunday.

She added: "Basically, snow and sleet, then it becomes very, very clear, but then the temperatures really drop, and then it freezes."

Most parts of Scotland struggled to get above 0C (32F), with the mercury in Inverness expected to drop to minus 2C.

Earlier, high winds and heavy rain caused delays in parts of the country with several trains between Glasgow and Ayr cancelled and replaced by buses.