Britain could be battered by snowstorms for four months as the country faces its coldest winter in a decade, according to meteorologists.

Despite the UK basking in a record summer heatwave, expects say the coming winter could bring in an ice blast even chillier than last year's Beast from the East.

The extreme dip in temperature could happen as early as November due to extreme low pressure systems - increasing the chances of a white Christmas.

Britain could be battered by ice and snowstorms for four months starting as early as November

Expects say the coming winter could bring in an ice blast even chillier than last year's Beast from the East

The country could be plunged into a four-month whiteout when air from the Atlantic and Arctic clash, triggering ice storms over the UK.

The onset of an El Nino warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean and changes in air patterns over the tropics could also keep the country in freezing temperatures through December, January and February, Exacta Weather forecaster James Madden told the Daily Express.

If true, the coming winter could be similar to the big freeze of 2010, which saw the coldest December since records began in 1910.

However, long-range forecasts only give a rough indication of what may happen.

It comes after a record-breaking British summer which saw temperatures hit 86F

The Met Office says it can't accurately forecast the weather more than 30 days in advance.

James Madden told the paper: 'All our long-range projections have been showing for quite some time that December is likely to be a colder than average month overall and we are expecting several widespread snowy periods.

'This year we are expecting potentially hazardous winter conditions from early on in the season.'

UK temperatures for June to August 2018 reveal that this year was top of the league table in Met Office records dating back to 1910

He explained the cooler temperatures could be caused by a period of low solar activity which may throw the jet stream of warm air, that gives us our mild climate, out of kilter and cause a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW).

This is what caused the 2010 freeze and last years Beast from the East which blanketed parts of the country in snow.

A spokesman for the UK Met Office said: 'El Niño years are one factor that can increase the risk of colder winters in the UK.'