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Britons were today urged to build an army of snowmen to stop flooding.

The Environment Agency stressed compacted snow melted more slowly so would cause less sudden surface water and reduce the risk of flooding.

The bizarre advice comes as weather experts predict a swift thaw in some parts of the UK when temperatures soar over the weekend.

Environment Agency spokesman Roy Stokes said: “Ideally if everybody built themselves a snowman that will slow the thaw down a bit.

“If you notice when people clear their drive the snow thaws away but the compacted piles stay which will give a balanced thaw, which would be helpful.

“We would rather it be a gradual thaw than a really quick one. “If it does go to quick we are likely to see a few flood alerts.”