A dream come true

Snow sweeps in for the lucky ones – making it the first white Christmas in three years

IT may not have been the big family gathering many of us had been hoping for.

But a glistening curtain of snow swept across parts of the country yesterday, providing some muchneeded magic.

A spot of sledging was on the cards in Northumberland after early morning flurries that also landed in County Durham, East Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk.

The showers had drifted inland from the North Sea, helping to make it the first white Christmas in three years.

Snow also topped the Cumbrian Fells and arrived in parts of Greater Manchester, the Derbyshire Peak District and the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.

The chilly temperatures did not put off a few brave swimmers, however, who were seen taking a dip in Thorpe Bay, Essex, as well as at Helen’s Bay in Belfast.

The Meteorological Office said weather stations in East Yorkshire and Suffolk recorded snow at 5am yesterday.

There were frosty scenes elsewhere after the mercury dropped to between -1C (30F) and -2C (28F) inland in South England and Wales in the morning. Temperatures fell even lower in Shap, Cumbria, to -6C (21F).

In many areas of the country, daytime temperatures barely struggled above freezing despite bright sunshine, with highs of just 3-4C (37-39F).

The last snow on Christmas Day in England and Wales was in 2017 when there were flurries in Cumbria.

The last widespread white Christmas was in 2010, when more than eight out of 10 weather stations (83 per cent) had lying snow on the ground.

Those who put bets on a white Christmas this year will be able to cash in as most bookies pay if snow falls anywhere in the country.