Tonnes of snow have been brought by truck to the centre of Moscow in an attempt to boost holiday spirit in what has so far been an almost snow-free December. The snow started appearing at the capital's Zaryadye Park and central Tverskaya Street on Friday. Alexei Nemeryuk, the head of Moscow’s trade and services department, told the Govorit Moskva radio station that the snow had been brought in from the city's ice rinks and will be used to create snowboarding slopes as part of the Journey to Christmas festival. According to meteorologists, the unseasonable warmth has been brought by an atmospheric front from the Atlantic Ocean. Rain – not snow – is forecast for the New Year holiday, Russia's main festive celebration.