Second ‘Beast from the East’ could bring snow and gales

BRITAIN is braced for the return of the “Beast from the East” as the Met Office warned of plummeting temperatures and freezing fog.

The new year is set to get off to a cold start as unsettled weather and low temperatures bring a return to the cold snap that hit the country at this time last year.

Forecasters warned of snow on hills and potentially at lower levels, along with freezing fog, by the end of the week. Cold and dry weather today is expected to give way in the second week of January to increasingly unsettled conditions, with rain, strong winds and severe gales possible.

“By the third week of January there is then an increased likelihood of a change to much colder weather generally, bringing an enhanced risk of frost, fog and snow,” the Met Office said.

Several councils, including Blackburn with Darwen, Lancs, said they had deployed gritters, amid warnings

of the threat of frost and ice on some roads as temperatures dropped as low as 25F (-4C).

The Beast from the East saw large parts of the UK blanketed in snow last year, with the cold weather lasting into March.

Speaking about the potential for a repeat of the cold snap, Met Office spokesman Simon Partridge said: “Last year there was widespread snow across many parts of the UK.

“There’s a higher chance of seeing colder spells, and given that, as a result, there’s a slightly higher chance of snow across the UK.”

The warning from the Met Office came as the odds were cut on this month being Britain’s coldest January.

“It may be a mild start to the month and new year, however, temperatures are set to drop sharply later in the week and with some frosty conditions on the horizon, we have cut the odds on this month ending as the coldest January on record,” said John Hill, of the bookmaker Coral.