Six inches of snow will hit Britain

Forecasters last night warned much of the country will be blanketed in snow with up to six inches expected in some areas.

The north and the east are in line for the heaviest snowfalls, although the experts say they could spread across Britain as we head to the weekend. Last night councils said they were ready for the winter’s first serious bout of cold weather which could last a fortnight, with rock salt supplies built up in preparation. Transport bodies say theyhope that there would not be a repeat of last winter’s chaos when grit supplies ran out.

Paul Watters of the AA said although councils had increased their salt stocks, supplies could still run out.

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He said: “The Highways Agency has got an extra quarter of a million tonnes in reserve.

“But there’s still a shortfall in the amount of salt available in the UK supply chain.

“We’re up to one million tonnes short and, if we have another harsh winter, stocks could still run out. We can’t afford to be complacent.”

Winter’s first falls hit Teesdale, County Durham, yesterday. But bigger snowstorms are expected to fall in Scotland tomorrow and spread across the whole country by the end of the week.

Met Office spokesman Alex Fox said: “There’s a risk of snow in most parts of the UK and some places will see significant amounts. It’s going to be much colder than average.”

We should brace ourselves for sleet and heavy frosts as the country is set to suffer through another harsh winter, the weathermen claimed.

Overnight temperatures are expected to fall to -10C but winds from northern Russia and the Arctic mean it will feel more like -12C in some parts. Mr Fox added: “To put that in context, the last time temperatures reached that low was on the night of March 9 and 10 this year at the top of Braemar, a mountain in Scotland that’s 320 metres above sea level.

“That gives us an idea of how cold things are going to get.”

He said temperatures will drop sharply from 8C today with daytime highs falling as low as -1C by the end of the week – far colder than average November temperatures of two or three degrees.

The Met Office also warned that icy roads and pavements would be dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. Brian Gaze, of The Weather Outlook, predicted up to six inches of snow, especially on higher ground.

He said: ‘The snow is expected to persist until next week with ongoing snow or sleet risk and sharp or severe overnight frost.”

He added: “London may have snow by the weekend, with accumulations of a few inches possible across higher parts of the South-east.”

Bookmaker William Hill is predicting the busiest white Christmas betting year on record, with Aberdeen the 3/1 favourite for snow on Christmas Day and London given odds of 6/1. Jonathan Powell of Positive Weather Solutions warned that Britain is in for a repeat of last year’s winter when the country experienced the coldest few months for 31 years.

He said: “December is looking very cold indeed and it will be similar to last year in temperatures.

“We won’t be seeing as much snow as we did then but with the frost and ice it’s going to be a nightmare.

“There are going to be some pretty sharp frosts and black ice, which makes the roads treacherous for drivers.”