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More snow and weather warnings as 'mini beast from the east' arrives

The cold weather has returned with more snow falling across parts of the UK overnight as the so-called “mini Beast from the East” arrived.

Forecasters said much of eastern England and Scotland had seen a smattering of the white stuff during the night, with snowfall moving westwards towards the Midlands and Wales.

An amber weather warning for snow and ice is in place across north-west England, Yorkshire and the Midlands, as well as in London, the South East, and east of England, from 4pm on Saturday until 9am on Sunday, while a yellow warning for snow and ice in force for the entire day covers nearly the whole of Britain.

<em>More snow – the ‘mini beast from the east’ arrived, bringing snow to much of the UK (Pictures: PA)</em>
More snow – the ‘mini beast from the east’ arrived, bringing snow to much of the UK (Pictures: PA)

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkhill said: “It will be bitterly cold with some snow for many places over the weekend.

“There are some very strong winds, meaning it could feel as low as minus 7 or minus 8 for some people.”

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More than 70 flights in and out of Heathrow Airport were cancelled on Saturday and drivers were also urged to be prepared before setting out on journeys, with Highways England advising motorists to avoid trans-Pennine roads “if possible”.

Sunday is also likely to see further snow, especially for parts of the South West, where as much as 25cm could fall on higher ground with lower levels also set for a smattering.

<em>Weather warnings – warnings are in place across the UK for Saturday</em>
Weather warnings – warnings are in place across the UK for Saturday

“It’s not common for these areas to see this type of snow,” said Mr Burkhill. “It won’t be the same amount we saw a few weeks ago, but it is still likely to be enough to cause some problems.”

Meteorologist Martin Bowles said the weekend’s weather could be dubbed a “mini beast from the east”, though it wouldn’t bring anything like the same impact.

Luckily the cold snap is only set to last a few days, with temperatures set to return to normal by Tuesday.