Met office issues first UK-wide cold weather alert

The Met Office has issued a country-wide alert, warning that daytime temperatures could be set to plummet five degrees lower than average for February.

The news will not be welcomed by the thousands of motorists who will breakdown on UK roads in this spate of harsh winter weather. The number of breakdowns currently reported to the AA stands at around 1,700, with numbers set to soar to around 17,000 calls a day - 80 per cent above the usual number.

There is also serious concern for the nation's elderly and ill population as we face a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert - the second most serious.  'This weather could increase the health risks to vunerasble patients and disrupt the delivery of services', the Met Office has warned.

Temperatures have already dropped as low as -6 degrees in Pershore, Worcestershire, with the whole of the country braced for more snow at the weekend.

Snowy pictures from around the UK