UK weather: Met Office warns of snow, strandings and mobile phone outages as 'Beast from the East' hits UK

Britain is braced for four days of widespread snow from Monday which could reach eight inches deep in some areas, the Met Office has warned.

Severe weather warnings were extended to cover most of the country this week with bitterly cold winds leaving some areas feeling colder than the Arctic Circle at a bone-chilling 5F (-15C).

Forecasters cautioned that heavy snowfall could bring down power lines causing mobile phone services to fail as the so-called ‘Beast from the East’ weather system arrives in the UK.

Tuesday is likely to to see the worst of the weather, with an 'amber' warning issued in the Midlands and south east England,  just one level below the most severe 'red' conditions. 'Yellow' alerts are also currently in place for Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Motorists were warned they could be stranded in vehicles after snow begins to fall from around 2pm on Monday. Major disruption is also expected on the rail network and at airports while rural communities were advised they could be cut off.

Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: “We don't want to scare people, but people should make sure they are prepared for some seriously cold weather.

“By Thursday evening, there are growing signs there could be some significant snowfall across southern England.

“Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry, so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions.

“Winds are then going to strengthen and we could see some easterly gales through the eastern Channel and east Anglia by the middle of the week.

“That's going to make it feel really cold, daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be struggling to get above freezing for most of the country.”

The forecaster said that by the end of Wednesday, more than 8 inches (20cm) of snow may have accumulated in some parts of eastern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Lows of -5C (23F) recorded over the weekend marked the lowest temperature in the week leading up to March 1, the first day of spring, since 1986.

The wind chill, which could see parts of the UK feeling as cold as -15C (5F), rivals the temperatures forecast for parts of northern Norway and Iceland.

Public Health England also issued fresh health warnings advising householders to keep indoor temperatures at a minimum of 64F (18C) and asking people to check on over 65s, young children and people with lung or heart conditions.

Dr Thomas Waite, of PHE’s Extreme Events team, said: “Cold temperatures, indoors and out, pose real health risks to many and every winter we know that thousands of people get ill and even die following exposure to cold conditions.”

Paul Gunderson Chief Operational Meteorologist at the Met Office added: “During Monday and Tuesday, snow showers are expected to move into eastern areas, before spreading westwards across England.

“These will also be accompanied by bitterly cold temperatures, and a significant wind chill. These cold, wintery conditions are then expected to continue Wednesday, and likely beyond.”

The Local Government Association (LGA) said councils were prepared for the weather with 1.5 million tonnes of salt stock piled across the country.

They also urged neighbours to check for milk bottles left outside, newspapers stuck in the letterbox of curtains drawn all day which could be a sign that something is wrong inside.

In addition to gritting roads and clearing snow drifts, the LGA said councils will be assisting the elderly and vulnerable in their areas, from delivering hot meals to carrying out emergency household repairs and providing heating.

Cllr Martin Tett, LGA transport spokesman, said: “Highway teams are monitoring high-tech weather forecasts with highly-trained staff on standby around the clock.

“Gritters will be out treating thousands of miles of council roads as the big chill bites and councils will be keeping people up-to-date about weather forecasts, road conditions and gritting activity.

“As the freeze sets in we need everyone in our communities to be on the look-out for signs that something might be wrong. Whether it be milk bottles left outside, newspapers stuck in the letterbox or curtains drawn all day, any sort of unusual activity could be a sign that something is wrong and that someone is in need of help.”