SNOW and ice have brought parts of Gwent to a standstill with warnings of more disruption today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning of ice between 4am and 11am this morning, covering all of Wales.

Around 120 schools will be closed today, public transport has suffered cancellations and delays and many services are affected.

The closures come in the aftermath of heavy snow which fell from the early hours of yesterday and through much of the day - particularly in the north of Gwent.

Trees were brought down trees, and Abergavenny's Winter Food Festival, and the second day of a similar event in Caerphilly, were cancelled.

Several inches of snow fell in places including Ebbw Vale, Abergavenny, Brynmawr, Blackwood and Pontypool.

A Met Office spokesman said: "Where snow has fallen through Sunday icy stretches are likely to form quite widely with some temporary melting of snow and then refreezing overnight,".

"Some further icy stretches are likely in parts of South Wales and southwest England where roads remain wet from overnight rain and seepage."

Gritters have been out in force on the roads, but some routes in the north of the region have been called "impassable".

Arriva Trains Wales also cancelled services between Newport and Abergavenny, and further disruption is likely overnight and into tomorrow.

Travellers are advised to check their train company's website for details.

Organisers of the Abergavenny Winter Food Festival, a major event in the town's calendar, made the decision to cancel the fair a few hours before it opened, citing concerns for traders and shoppers safely, Chief executive Aine Morris said: “The safety of everyone coming to the fair is at the front of our minds.

“We are hugely disappointed ourselves that the fair will not go ahead, but after taking advice from our staff, traders and relevant public services the site has been deemed too risky for the event to go ahead.”

A similar fate befell the second day of the Caerphilly Christmas Market, which was held at the castle.

“Unfortunately, due to a number of factors related to the deteriorating weather conditions that are forecast, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Caerphilly Christmas Market," said an event spokesman.

“We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and disappointment that this may cause.”

On the roads, the proposed maintenance closure of the Heads of the Valleys Road was postponed due to the snow and sections were closed due to dangerous driving conditions.

Chief inspector Huw Jones of Gwent Police said motorists are advised to avoid making unnecessary journeys.

“We have been dealing with a lot of congestion and road incidents in the north of county – Ebbw Vale, Bargoed, Blaenavon and so on – where some of the roads are impassable,” said Mr Jones.

“The main roads have been gritted and the M4 has been running smoothly.

“We are advising people not to make unnecessary journeys due to the extreme weather conditions.

“If journeys must be made, we advise motorists to take blankets, torches and flasks with them in case they need to abandon their vehicles.

“If you feel you must abandon your vehicle, please leave it in a position where it will not obstruct the traffic and safely to the side of the road where possible.”

Trees were brought down in New Inn as a result of the snow while in Abergavenny, Western Power Distribution issued warnings of power cuts to residents.

Members of the South Wales Argus Camera Club took the opportunity to submit swathes of stunning wintery scenes.

To view the images or join the club, go to facebook.com/groups/argusphotosgroup