Those dreaming of a white Christmas will have to wait until at least next year, with the Met Office predicting plenty of frost and sunshine but no snow for Christmas Day.

Much of the UK will wake up to frosty and foggy conditions on Christmas morning, before the wintry weather lifts to make way for sunshine later in the day.

“Christmas Day is looking like a lovely day for pretty much the whole of the UK,” Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said.

“It is highly unlikely there will be any significant snowfall this year. If there is any snow, it will be over the tops of Scottish mountains, which we don’t class as a white Christmas.”

Temperatures in Scotland are forecast to fall to lows of minus 3C and about 0C in England and Wales. That will increase to about 7C in northern parts of the UK and 8C in the South, the Met Office said.

The thickest of the morning fog is likely to be in Wales and central and western parts of England.

But the pleasant conditions will be shortlived, with rain and and wind forecast for parts of the UK throughout Boxing Day. The Environment Agency has also warned of potential flooding across England, due to further wet weather later in the week.