Britain shivers in freezing weather and snowfalls

Large parts of Britain shivered in wintry snowfalls as temperatures plunged to lows of minus six degrees centigrade over the weekend.

The lowest temperature on Saturday night was recorded in Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, which saw a frosty minus 6C, while minus 5.6C was recorded in Benson, in south Oxfordshire.

Forecasters have said that the weather will get slightly warmer next week, but there is another chilly night ahead as the winter closes in, with temperatures dropping to zero in most places.

Showers are expected to push southwards towards the north east today, with the possibility of short snowfalls.

Next week will see temperatures rise slightly, though the weather will become more unsettled with rain and strong winds, forecasters said.