First autumn frost for much of the UK as temperatures drop below zero

Much of the UK woke to its first frost of the autumn as temperatures dropped to well below freezing overnight.

The sub-zero temperatures stretched as far south as Somerset, with only the north of Scotland and parts of the east and south west of England staying above freezing over Friday night.

Met Office figures said Eskdalemuir in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland, saw the lowest recorded overnight temperature as it reached minus 6C early on Saturday with parts of the country forecast to remain well below freezing into Saturday morning.

After a cold, frosty start, Saturday is forecast to be mainly dry, with light winds and plenty of sunny spells.

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “There will be a crisp but sunny start to the weekend for many areas and it will still be a little cloudy across the east coast.

“Showers will come and go across parts of Norfolk as well as northern Scotland.”

Much of Scotland is expected to see a maximum temperature of around 4C with the rest of the UK reaching a high of 6C or 7C, before dropping back as night falls.

The east of England will likely then see another frost.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: “Early next week, following a brief more unsettled interlude, we expect to see a return to widely cold but quiet conditions.

“Some rain, or showers, are likely to affect some parts of the east coast, and these could turn increasingly wintry over higher ground areas towards the middle of the week.”

He added that beyond midweek rain would move east, with snow "possible" over higher ground.

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