Weather: 'Ice pancakes' pictured in Cumbria

"Strange but beautiful" is how Joan Thirlaway describes the rare phenomenon she caught on camera today.

'Ice pancakes' have formed on the River Irthing in Cumbria.

The unusual scene is another sign of the spell of cold weather we have been having.

It is thought they have been formed by foam on the river freezing, breaking into sections and then bumping into each other to give the round edges.

With temperatures last night dropping to below -7C in parts of Cumbria it has certainly been cold enough for these unusual 'saucers' to form.

With more freezing weather overnight they might even grow in size before we see a rise in temperatures.