UK weather: Blanket of snow expected to bring 'significant' disruption at the weekend

Watch: UK weather - Britain braces for snow and rain as Met Office issues weather warnings

A blanket of snow is expected to bring "significant" disruption to parts of the UK over the weekend, with some areas seeing up to seven inches (20cm).

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow, covering much of Scotland, and parts of northern England, with much of Wales and areas including Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire affected on Saturday.

Forecasters said there is likely to be disruption to travel across central and northern Scotland, with a warning in place from 4am on Thursday until midday on Friday.

Another warning of heavy snow for an area of northern England running up to the Scottish border is in place from 4am to 3pm on Thursday.

It comes after large swathes of the UK were blanketed in snow last weekend.

The Met Office said the UK had experienced the heaviest snowfall since late January 2019, when 20 weather stations in England recorded accumulations of two inches (5cm) or more for three days consecutively.

There are also yellow warnings in place for rain in the next couple of days, with as much as 40mm expected in eastern parts of Scotland.

Temperatures are set to increase in most areas as milder air moves in from the Atlantic, and parts of southern England and Wales could see "spring-like" weather, with temperatures rising as high as 14C (57F).

The Environment Agency had 39 flood warnings in place at midday on Thursday, stretching from the Midlands to the North East, meaning immediate action is required.

Clare Hoskins, who lives near Largs, North Ayrshire, told the PA news agency: "We are currently trying to dig our access road out ... it will probably take us and our neighbours a full day to dig us out."

The 37-year-old lecturer at Strathclyde University said she believes the nearby main road has also been closed due to the heavy snowfall.

Watch: What UK government COVID-19 support is available?