March’s usual flurry of new car deliveries has been put on ice at many car dealerships across the UK as The Beast From the East blighted retailers striving to deliver 18-plate handovers despite the snow.

Bradford-based AM100 retail group JCT600 was among the first retailers to encourage motorists keen to be one of the first to get their hands on a new 18-plate car to only do so if it was safe.

In a message delivered via social media, the group said: “It is a big day for us here at JCT600 delivering new 18-plates, however as some areas have been hit by the #BeastFromTheEast we also want our customers to be safe and only collect if it is safe to do so today!”

Glyn Hopkin Group, meanwhile, said that it was ready to deliver cars to their new owners despite the icy conditions. A message on Twitter said: “If you are in the area why not pop down to your local Glyn Hopkin dealership, whatever the weather we are happy to get a car ready for you.”

The message was reiterated by South Yorkshire Burrows Motor Company. The group tweeted: "All of our dealerships are OPEN as usual today for the new 18-reg handovers. We will keep you updated if anything changes. Please take care on the roads if you are coming to visit us."

Car retailers in snow blighted areas across the UK were keen to recognise the efforts of their staff for delivering despite the snow deluge, meanwhile.

Daniel Cooper, head of business at Robinsons Volkswagen Peterborough, took to Twitter to congratulate his team on a job well done ahead of today’s 18-plate handovers.

He said: “Great job from every team member over the past few days to get all of our 18-plate Volkswagen ready for today. We have had no water as everything is frozen so to be ready is an amazing team effort. Well done everyone.”