Parts of Britain will be hit by freezing fog, sleet and snow this weekend, as the “first cold spell” of the winter sets in.

Outbreaks of rain and wintry showers will begin to fall overnight on Friday, mostly over higher ground in northern England while heavy thundery showers and hail are expected in the southeast.

Temperatures will plummet to -8C in Scotland and to 0C in the southeast of England, forecasters said.

In Birmingham overnight temperatures will hover at 2C and in Scotland people will wake to widespread patches of frost on Saturday.

Freezing fog is also likely in northern Scotland but the day will be largely cold and dry, with some sunshine across the country and in East Anglia.

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“So far this winter has been pretty mild,” said Alex Burkill, a meterologist at the Met Office .

“But now temperatures are getting colder and will continue to do so over next week.”

“This is the first cold spell of winter.”

Hill snow is expected to fall in eastern and southeastern parts of England on Saturday and average temperatures across the whole of the UK are expected to hit highs of just 9C.

“Many places will struggle to get over 5C or 6C during the day,” Mr Burkill added.

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He said that while Sunday would be brighter, wintry showers would push southwards from northern Scotland.

Patches of rain are also expected across the southeast.