Rare ice pancakes form on River Wharfe in Yorkshire

Michael Cox spotted ice pancakes on the Wharfe while walking his dog on Wednesday morning

Plunging temperatures have brought "ice pancakes" to a river in North Yorkshire.

The phenomenon, which is caused when foam floating on the top of a river freezes, was spotted on the River Wharfe near Bolton Priory on Wednesday.

They were photographed by dog walker Michael Cox, who said he visits the area regularly but had never seen the ice pancakes before.

It comes as freezing temperatures have gripped the country for several days.

Mr Cox, who lives in nearby Silsden, said the riverside walk had been transformed into something of a "winter wonderland".

"There had been a hard frost that day, it was all very picturesque," he said

Although he had never seen ice pancakes before, he said he knew what he was witnessing having seen previous news stories about the phenomenon.

Days of sub-zero temperatures have allowed the ice pancakes to form

The distinctive circular shapes are formed when the foam freezes, and the ice chunks then bump into each other and become rounded.

The spectacle has already been witnessed on a Glasgow river earlier this week, and ice pancakes were also captured on the River Swale in Richmond in 2019.