Britain is bracing itself for a spell of prolonged cold weather which is expected to bring with it snow and wintry showers.

After the chaos last year's Beast from the East, it will be of some concern that the conditions for the end of January could potentially be coming from the same region.

With Arctic weather fronts drifting in from the north this week, a mild start is expected to give way to ice, wind and rain.

And the rain could turn to "a few centimetres" of snow almost anywhere, particularly across northern and central areas, the Met Office warned.

The cold snap, which could last into February, is expected to send temperatures in some parts of the country below freezing.