Severe weather warning issued for large parts of UK

Swathes of the UK are set for freezing cold, sleet and snow as wintry conditions sweep across central and southern Britain.

The Met Office has upgraded its cold weather warning to its second highest level and predicted sleet and snow across the Midlands, parts of East Anglia and southern parts of north west England and Yorkshire.

A yellow alert for snow has been issued for a huge band across the UK – encompassing Northern Ireland, Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and the north west, and as far as London and Kent.

The yellow warning is in place for 11am to 6pm on Saturday.

Wales and the West Midlands are the most likely to see snow in the coming days.

Temperatures could drop as low as minus 10 centigrade in the period between Boxing Day and new year’s day.

The Met Office expects snow depths of between 2cm and 4cm, and more than 10cm on higher ground.

Christmas night was the coldest night of the year so far, with minus 8.5 recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.