Temperatures of -9.8C in Courier Country

An airfield in Perthshire was the coldest place in the UK yesterday as the weekend’s cold snap endured into Monday.

Police across Scotland responded to 25 crashes between 8am and 9am yesterday as frost and ice affected roads and pavements.

Strathallan Airfield was the coldest place in the UK after the mercury plummeted to -9.8C, while Leuchars dropped to -7.8C.

The weather was so freezing that one of the mildest places in Scotland yesterday morning was the village of Machrihanish in Argyll, which reached a low of -0.8C.

Forecasters said “milder” conditions are on the way in the coming days before colder weather moves back in again later in the week.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “In terms of a forecast it will be milder into Tuesday morning for Tayside and Fife.”

“Tuesday will see highs of 5C and Wednesday highs of 6C, but perhaps returning to freezing and frosty on Thursday night.

“The colder conditions are never far away, the high pressure is bringing more unsettled conditions.”

He continued: “Though it is ever so slightly milder, it is closer to temperatures we expect to see this time of year.”

He added it was too soon to say what next weekend’s weather will have in store for Tayside and Fife.

“It is a little bit far away at the moment,’ he said, adding: “It looks like a fairly cold start to Saturday, with a band of rain pushing out west to east. Highs of 6C potentially.”