As region deals with New Year floods warnings of more severe weather ahead

Roads begin to white-out once more in Dartmoor National Park as a fresh batch of snow falls in the South West of the UK near Two Bridges, Dartmoor, Devon.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning over the weekend Credit: PA

As the North West struggles to deal with the effects of the flooding that hit the region over the New Year period the Met Office has issued another warning for possible severe weather over the weekend.

It has issued a yellow warning which indicates there could be icy surfaces in the North West of England, northern and western Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The warning is in place from 5pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday morning, and could make for difficult travelling conditions, the forecaster warned.

A snow and ice warning is also in place covering parts of northern Scotland between 4pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday.

Scattered wintry showers will be replaced by a longer spell of rain and sleet on Thursday night, particularly across western Scotland and Northern Ireland.

As temperatures dip below freezing, this will lead to a risk of ice on untreated surfaces, the forecaster said.

A yellow warning is in place from noon on Saturday until 9am on Monday and covers all regions of England other than the South West, the majority of Wales and parts of southern Scotland.

The Met Office added that about 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20-30cm over high ground in Wales and the Pennines.

Strong winds could lead to snow drifts in some areas, and freezing rain as temperatures creep up could add to the risk of ice.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: "At the moment we've issued a very large snow warning for Saturday

until Monday but it doesn't mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow, it's just a heads-up there

could be some impacts."

Meanwhile the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued cold weather health alerts to vulnerable people across England ahead of a week of low temperatures, with amber alerts issued from 12pm on Thursday until January 8.

The Agency has warned that a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, is likely, the UKHSA said.

Some people will have challenges keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C, leading to more risk to vulnerable people.