Snow and ice warnings issued for parts of UK

Snow is expected to accumulate over the higher ground of eastern Scotland and north east England

Snow and ice are set to hit parts of the UK in a series of wintry showers.

The Met Office says people should get ready for potentially "hazardous conditions" from 17:00 GMT on Tuesday overnight into Wednesday morning.

Affected regions are northern and eastern Scotland, Shetland and Orkney, north east England and East Yorkshire.

London and areas of south east England could see some snow flurries later this week, forecasters say.

The latest forecast for the region indicates snow showers are more likely on Friday, but there could be flurries on Thursday.

There will be freezing weather on Tuesday night for many people across the country with temperatures down to -2C (28.4F) to -6C degrees.

Snow is expected to accumulate over the higher ground of eastern Scotland and north east England.

With wintry showers and temperatures below zero, icy stretches may form on untreated surfaces into Wednesday morning, the Met Office said.

There is also the chance of one to three centimetres of snow accumulating to relatively low levels and up to five centimetres over the higher ground of north east Scotland.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice will remain in place in areas of Scotland and north east England until Thursday.

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Temperatures dropped below freezing for much of the country over the weekend. The coldest recorded temperature so far this autumn was -7.7C in Shap, Cumbria, on Saturday morning.

The cold air is coming from Scandinavia where people there are experiencing near-record cold November weather. Wintry showers are forming in the North Sea and will come onshore across eastern parts of the UK.

The cold weather is expected to to stick around into next week.

Maximum temperatures this week will be around 2C to 6C but it may not even get above freezing in parts of Scotland and northern England.

While snow may fall in London and south east England later this week, it is not likely to settle or cause disruption.

Snowfall at this time of year does not generally linger because ground temperatures are relatively high, especially compared with late winter, the Met Office says.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber cold-health alert for the health sector for northern regions of England, meaning "significant impacts are probable".

The amber alert indicates that impacts of the cold weather are likely to be felt across the whole health service, with the potential for the whole population to be at risk, the agency says.

A less severe yellow cold-health warning is in place for the Midlands. Both alerts are in force from 18:00 GMT on Tuesday, running until 5 December.

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