It appears the Dutch public have heeded warnings to stay indoors as snow and ice have made roads across the Netherlands treacherous. The Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, issued a weather alert on Saturday for the northern provinces where the snow is heaviest.

The combination of heavy snow and strong winds has caused snow drifts and reduced visibility. Motorways in the northern provinces have been reduced to single lane traffic. The dike across the Ijsselmeer lake between the cities of Enkhuizen and Lelystad has been closed altogether.

In the central and southern Netherlands sleet has made roads extremely slippery. In the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe, bus passengers have been told to expect delays.

Trains have scarecely been affected by the extreme weather conditions this time round. The main Dutch passender railservice NS and rail infrastructure company Prorail kept points working by running empty trains through the night, and have announced educed but regular services. In the week before Christmas, rail services almost came to a standstill as a result of the snow and for three days passengers were advised to avoid train journeys.

A herd of wild horses has fallen through the ice after it left a nature reserve in the reclaimed Flevoland polder. Around 100 horses probably followed the trail left by a herd of reindeer, which are lighter animals. All but one of the horses managed to climb back out of the freezing cold water. Rangers shot the remaining, exhausted animal.