FROZEN Britain faces a frosty and icy start to 2017 with the cold snap set to linger through the first week of January.

A Government Level 2 cold weather health alert is in place until Tuesday afternoon and warns of an increased danger to the elderly and vulnerable.

4 Residents of Exceat, East Sussex, woke up to frozen fields on Friday and the cold weather is set to last throughout this week with lows of -5C in the south Credit: Alamy

4 The latest forecast

Thermometers started to drop today bringing wintry showers to parts of Scotland and northern England.

Today the Met Office issued a severe weather warning for ice in the region with rain during the day expected to freeze overnight.

Forecaster Helen Roberts said temperatures will “flip-flop” through the week with lows of -5C (23F) expected in the south tomorrow night.

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The north will be slightly milder thanks to cloud cover although the whole country will shiver through the week, she added.

She said: “We are moving into a Polar Maritime air mass from Sunday afternoon and into the start of the new week.

“It is going to feel noticeably colder with further wintry showers in northern Scotland and perhaps along the northeast coast although there will be lots of crisp wintry sunshine around on Monday.

4 Thick fog was a problem for several drivers in East Sussex on December 30 and hazardous driving conditions are expected to continue this week Credit: Alamy

“Temperatures will flip-flop through the week and on Wednesday we could see widespread frosts; it will be quite chilly towards the weekend though not quite as cold as the start of the week.”

Temperatures will sink to around -5C (23F) in the south overnight this week with the north slightly milder at times at around freezing or just below.

Much of the country will struggle to get much above single figures during the day with some parts barely making it above 1C (33.8F) or 2C (35.6F).

A Met Office level 2 cold weather health alert warns of a “70 per cent probability of severe cold weather between 3pm on Sunday and 3pm on Tuesday” in parts of England.

It states: “This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.

4 Credit: Alamy

“As rain clears to the south it will be followed later on Sunday and into Monday by a cold northerly airflow which will persist for most through Tuesday, with wintry showers possible in coastal areas and widespread overnight frosts.

“Later on Tuesday, milder conditions may return to the north, but it will remain cold further south.”

Dr Thomas Waite, spokesman for Public Health England’s extreme events team, said: “Every winter thousands of people die because of their exposure to cold weather and doctors’ surgeries, hospitals and other parts of the NHS are kept busy as people fall ill - that’s why it’s really important that we all do everything we can to ensure everyone stays well this winter.

“Think about how the coming cold temperatures may affect your friends, family and neighbours, particularly if they are older or very young or have pre-existing health conditions.”

Longer-range forecasters warn the cold weather could last through to the end of the month with a risk of more widespread snow.

James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said: “January is likely to be a much colder than average month overall and issues that come with prolonged cold spells such as frozen roads and pavements could become an issue as we see a freeze followed by a thaw before the process repeats.”

Tuesday a bit flat MANY drivers will struggle to start their cars tomorrow on what has been called Flat Battery Tuesday. The motors have been left unused over the holiday. And one in six aged 25 to 34 do not even know where their battery is, say Halfords. Expert Ella Colley said: “It’s not just commuters who will feel sluggish after the festive period, but their cars too.”

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