Snow and ice warnings as parts of UK to be hit by -10C freeze

Cold weather looks set to persist over weekend

The UK has woken up to “bitterly cold temperatures” after dropping to as low as -8C overnight, as snow and ice warnings remain in place across the country.

Britons have been told to watch out for slipping on icy surfaces and untreated roads on Friday morning as the cold snap continues.

Snow has also disrupted travel in Scotland and sparked a separate weather warning in northern areas.

More cold weather has been forecast for the weekend, with temperatures expected to hover just above freezing on Saturday before plummeting again.

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The ice warning runs across the UK’s east and west coast on Friday morning until midday. It also covers Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, with a separate snow and ice warning in northern Scotland.

The Met Office has extended some of the weather warnings - including the one in western England - into Saturday. On Sunday, only the northern Scotland warning remains.

Ice and snow warnings are in place across the UK (Getty Images)

It comes as the UK faces a cold snap, during which at least four have been killed in car crashes across the country and schools have been forced to close in Scotland.

The Met Office said temperatures of around -8C and -9C were recorded in countryside areas overnight on Thursday into Friday.

Meteorologist Luke Hall described the temperatures as “bitterly cold” on Friday morning and warned they would “soon be plummeting again” in the evening.

He said temperatures of around 2 to 5C were expected in the day, although this would likely feel colder. Inland areas could, however, still experience some sunshine.

Edinburgh has been among the places in Scotland hit by snow (PA)

Temperatures were expected to plummet again overnight on Friday into Saturday, with the risk of ice in areas that experienced showers in the day.

Mr Hall said temperatures could drop to -8C and -9C in some areas on Saturday morning - even as low as -10C in some parts of Scotland.

Once in the afternoon, they will “struggle once again” and hover “just a few degrees above freezing”, the Met Office meteorologist said.

“But it may only be for a couple of hours that we see temperatures above freezing in some places before they start to dip away again through the evening,” he said.

Mr Hall warned drivers may find it difficult to travel in some areas due to “dense patches of freezing fog” in areas.

The UK is in the grip of a cold snap (PA)

Sean Sidley from the AA said: “With the first cold snap of the season underway drivers should take extra care on the roads and plan ahead.”

He added: “We dealt with record numbers of breakdowns yesterday and expect today to be approximately 16 per cent over forecast with breakdowns dropping off over the weekend and then peaking again on Monday with probably 15 per cent above forecast.

An RAC Breakdown spokesperson said on Friday: “Yesterday was an exceptionally busy day for our patrols, with around a quarter more breakdowns taking place nationwide than is normal for this time of year with the eastern side of the UK seeing most of the demand. Flat batteries and problems with tyres, especially punctures, were the top reasons for drivers breaking down.”

“If anything, we’re expecting today to be even busier as many people – including students – use their cars to get away for the weekend, or take a day off to do their Christmas shopping. It’s a picture that’s going to continue into the weekend and next week as the cold snap continues.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Level 3 cold weather alert covering England until Monday.

A fuel poverty charity has warned people struggling to heat their homes due to “impossibly high prices” now faced “dreadful consequences” in the cold snap.

The Met Office predicts the weather will stay “cold or very cold” from Sunday into the start of next week, with more wintry showers mainly along coastal areas and freezing fog also likely in some areas.