Motorists are being warned to be careful on the roads on Monday morning  because of snow, and the KNMI weather bureau has issued a code yellow weather alarm for Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Limburg.

The KNMI say the chilly overnight temperatures could have caused icy patches on the roads in some places. Gritting lorries have been out in the worst affected areas.

The snow could be up to several centimetres thick in Limburg.

Despite the March snow, the KNMI says this winter has been one of the mildest since records began some 300 years ago. The warmer than average temperatures have been due to winds blowing in from the south west.

Apart from a short period of black ice and some snow cover in the north which lasted several days there have been few weather-related probems.

The average temperature recorded at the national weather centre in De Bilt was 6.3 degrees so far, compared to 3.4 degrees in an average winter. The winter of 2007, when the temperature averaged 6.5 degrees, is the warmest on record.