Hundreds of schools in northern Scotland remain shut for a third day as the country continues to be gripped by wintry conditions, with fresh weather warnings issued.

Heavy snow has delayed the return to school after the winter break for thousands of pupils in northern Scotland who were due to go back on Monday.

In Aberdeenshire all schools and council-run nurseries remain closed for a third day on Wednesday, along with dozens of schools in Moray and Aberdeen and a number of those in Orkney and Shetland.

Pupils in the Highlands were due to return from the holidays on Wednesday but many now have an extra day off, with more than 120 schools shut due to the weather conditions.

Nine children are among 18 people who have been injured after a school coach crashed with a bus due to black ice.

Police confirmed there were two collisions at a roundabout in Reading on Wednesday as a result of the bad weather – one involving two cars and one involving a school coach and a Reading bus.

Nine children from the school coach suffered minor injuries, along with the coach driver, and eight adults from the Reading bus also suffered minor wounds. Two people were taken to hospital, while the remaining 16 people were discharged at the scene.

No one was injured in the crash involving two cars.

Thames Valley Police said “road conditions were very icy at the scene” with “weather-related black ice” confirmed as the cause of the incidents.

Vulnerable pensioners and other households on low incomes will receive automatic payments of £25 to help them stay warm this week, the Department of Work and Pensions has said after cold weather payments were triggered six times since November last year.

Over one million eligible households to automatically receive £25 for every seven-consecutive-day period of very cold weather.

Payments have been triggered in 697 postcodes across parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland as temperatures drop to zero degrees or below.

Support is available to those on Pension Credit as well as some on Universal Credit and other qualifying benefits

British Red Cross teams have been on the ground in areas including Scotland and Northern Ireland, providing support to those affected by the freezing conditions. The charity has also deployed emergency response vehicles to help transport domiciliary care workers, ensuring vital care reaches people who need it most.

Eleanor Stack, British Red Cross Operations Lead, said: “With multiple yellow weather warnings for snow and ice on Wednesday and Thursday, our teams are on standby again.

“As the temperature dips, there are some simple steps we can all take to make sure we are prepared for the colder weather. This includes thinking about your home heating and other ways to keep warm as well as preventing water pipes from freezing.

“Your travel might be disrupted by severe winter weather too. Consider whether you really need to travel or if you should wait until conditions improve, especially if the weather is severe. You should especially bear this in mind when travelling with people who may need more help such as younger children or older people. Always check the weather forecast and travel updates and think about planning alternative routes in case you need them.”

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for heavy snow from Thursday evening into Friday, covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire.

The snowfall, brought by Storm Goretti, will mean trains and planes could be delayed or cancelled, rural communities may cut off, and power cuts or disruption to mobile signal are likely, forecasters said.

The warning stretches from Sheffield in the north, down to Leicester, across much of the west Midlands and into Wales.It comes into force at 8pm on Thursday and ends at 9am on Friday.

An amber wind weather warning is in place over Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday from 5pm to 11pm.

The warning, which means there will be a “danger to life” from large waves and debris being thrown onto beachfront roads and properties, covers the Scilly Isles and parts of Cornwall including Truro and Newquay.

Storm Goretti may bring a short period of exceptionally strong northwesterly winds to the Isles of Scilly and parts of Cornwall on Thursday evening, with peak gusts potentially of 80-90 mph in exposed areas. This will depend on the exact track of Storm Goretti, and should the low pressure system track further south then the risk of these very strong winds would reduce.

This system has been named by Meteo France as the strongest winds associated with Storm Goretti are most likely over northern France.