Winter blows in with early snowfalls

A woman beats the freeze as she clears the snow off signs for the Tan Hill Inn, on the Pennine tops above Reeth in Swaledale

Strong winds with gusts of 70mph will batter northern parts of England and higher ground in Scotland could be blanketed in up to 5cm (2in) of snow.

Motorists are being warned that snow and rain overnight may turn to ice on roads as clear conditions bring freezing temperatures.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for most of Scotland and northern England for wind and ice.

It said: “The north or northwesterly winds will increase during the early hours of Wednesday, with gusts perhaps reaching 60-70 mph in places.

“The public should be aware that the winds are likely to be strong enough to cause some local disruption to travel and possibly some minor damage to buildings and trees.”

Alexi Boothman, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said temperatures were markedly lower than the average for this time of year.

Maximum temperatures in England and Wales were around 6C (42.8F) or 7C (44.6F) on Tuesday, below the average of 10C (50F) or 11C (51.8F) .

Large parts of England will see temperatures reached minus 3C (26.6F) or minus 4C (24.8F) last night, caused by cold winds from the North.