Snow hits the North York Moors: Picture gallery

THE first taste of winter swept across the North York Moors this morning, with a warning that the snow could spread to the rest of the county by the weekend.

The A169 was blocked near the Hole of Horcum on the road to Whitby, after a lorry skidded in the snow and hit a fence.

Police said the road was blocked for two hours and reopened at 12.30pm. No one was injured.

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Conditions were described as "treacherous" in some parts of the county this morning, but appeared to have eased this afternoon.

With more bad weather forecast for the region, motorists were urged to take extra care when driving and allow more time for their journey.

Most of the country will see a sub-zero chill tonight and temperatures are expected to drop to minus 5C in some regions in the next few days.

Heaviest snow is expected in the Scottish Highlands - with up to 8ins (20cm) in Grampian - and in Yorkshire, north-east England and East Anglia.

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A moderate covering is also forecast across the rest of the country by the end of the week though it will remain heaviest in Scotland, Orkney and the Shetland Isles.

Met Office forecaster Sarah Holland said the bitterly cold weather was set to continue into the weekend when swathes of the country are expected to wake up to wintry scenes.

"The worst of the weather is going to be overnight in the North East and parts of Yorkshire are going to see significant amounts of snow falling," she said.

"We are entering a cold snap and through the weekend it is going to be getting even colder and many places are likely to see snow."

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Temperatures are not expected to rise much above 2C by day, remaining lower in the more exposed, rural areas.

Overnight they are likely to plummet to below freezing, reaching minus 10C on Monday in the Highlands.

Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Temperatures will definitely remain below zero overnight and they will really be struggling to rise during the day.

"The cold weather is definitely looking like it is here to stay for the next 10 days and if we see the northerly winds turning easterly next week, we will see a lot more snow for eastern areas and this will push inland."

The freezing conditions mean the snow is likely to settle on the ground, leading to a risk of ice.

The Met Office has urged motorists to exercise caution on the roads.

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