Alpine ski resorts have reported the first blankets of fresh snow as ski season begins.

Stubaier Gletscher in Austria will be opening about a week earlier than in recent years due to the September snowfall, although the weather is not rare for the time of year.

A Met Office spokesman said: 'There is some snow in the Alps. Although it's not necessarily unheard of for this time of year, it is earlier than we've seen in the last few years.'

Stubaier Gletscher in Austria will be opening about a week earlier than in recent years due to the September snowfall

The early snowfall at Stubaier Gletscher in Austria is not unusual for this time of year

Markus Valentini, owner and manager of Utia de Bioch Hut in Alta Badia, Italy, said: 'Every year we have a snowfall in September, last year it came on 26 August, where we had 30cm of fresh powder snow.

'The view was fantastic and we had a full restaurant, because everyone climbed up the mountain to see the snow and to take pictures and to post it on the socials.

'We are happy for the snowfall in autumn, because, usually, after that, the weather changes and we have got beautiful conditions: sunny, warm during the day, clear sky, fantastic views.'

A Met Office spokesman said that 'there is some snow in the Alps', but that is not 'necessarily unheard of'

Stubai Glacier ski area in Austria, one of many resorts across the Alps that has seen unusually early snowfall in the early days of September

A spokesman for Meteo France said: 'Currently, in the Alps (Isere and Savoie in particular), the measurements that we took gave between 5cm and 10cm of snow, on average, above 1,600m.

'There was snowfall between Sunday 8 and Monday 9 September. These records are not exceptional for a month of September.

'In the next 15 days, by the end of September, the weather will not favour any new snowfall.

'Our seasonal forecasts predict a rather 'warm' season, which means, in theory, that there will be no early snow.'