Snow falls as Britain freezes over

Dec 1 2012

Snow has fallen across parts of the country, with more predicted over the weekend.

In contrast to the wet and windy weather which played havoc at the start of the week, freezing temperatures, snow and ice has now swept the UK.

Around 1cm of snow has settled in parts of northern England and Scotland, including Cumbria, Teesside and County Durham, while an inch has covered the Pennines and the Southern Uplands.

In the midlands, southern England and Wales temperatures are below freezing, and as low as -5C in some areas.

The frosty weather is expected to last for the next few days, with more snow predicted in the north and Scotland on Sunday night.

The freezing temperatures have brought with them a risk of ice, following the recent heavy rainfall.

The Met Office issued a low-level warning of severe weather, affecting much of the UK for Saturday morning.

It said: "Due to the recent wet weather there is an increased risk of icy patches, even on roads that have been treated with salt, where water run off/seepage may wash off any earlier salt treatment.

"The public should be aware of the risk of ice on roads and pavements."

Brendan Jones, a spokesman for the MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "It will be a very cold and frosty start to the day for some southern England, the Midlands and Wales. In northern England and Scotland it is quite unsettled with rain and snow."