Britain is braced for more snowfall on Saturday as a cold snap dubbed the “mini beast from the east” arrives.
The Met Office has warned of accumulations up to 10cm (4in) in parts, and says temperatures are likely to plunge to around freezing.
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.
“The last couple of days have been quite mild across parts of the UK – we got to around 16C (on Thursday) in Wales – but by (Saturday) all of us will be back to very cold weather.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice cover much of the UK, and are in force for the whole of Saturday, while gusty winds of up to 70mph are forecast in northern England and parts of Wales.
More than 70 flights to or from Heathrow Airport on Saturday have been cancelled, mostly on short-haul routes, although British Airways services to New York and Chicago were among those affected.
Drivers have also been urged to be prepared before setting out on journeys this weekend, with Highways England advising motorists to avoid trans-Pennine roads “if possible”.
The cold weather should only last a few days though – by Tuesday, temperatures will be getting back to average for the time of year.
He said: “We don’t expect anything like the same impact as a result of it, although there will be some snow about.”
