Northern England on cold weather alert

FORECASTERS have warned this week could see the coldest day of the year so far as swathes of the country face freezing conditions.

The UK Health Security Agency issued a cold weather alert and has placed northeast England, north-west England and Yorkshire under a level three alert, with the rest of England at level two.

The level three alert means there is a 90 per chance of severely cold weather, icy conditions or heavy snow, which could increase the health risk to the vulnerable. The alert runs until midnight on Thursday.

Yesterday, yellow weather warnings for snow in Scotland were brought forward as Arctic air moves over the country.

The Met Office said temperatures could drop below -10C tonight on higher ground in northern Scotland, with northerly winds making it feel even colder. In some parts of Scotland temperatures could fall to as low as -15C over the coming nights.

The conditions could lead to up to 10cm of snow on higher ground in Scotland and 5cm at lower levels.

The Met Office has warned those living in the areas covered by the warning to expect disruption to travel. They could also experience power outages and icy surfaces while some rural communities may be cut off by the freezing conditions.