Snow falls in LONDON as freezing -7C Arctic blast sparks travel chaos amid thick flurries & yellow ice warning

LONDONERS were among those hit by snow today as an Arctic blast sweeps through Britain.

The bone-chilling plunge saw temperatures dip below freezing first thing, with thick flurries of the white stuff spotted across the capital.

Up to 5cm of snow is set to fall over higher ground in parts of Scotland, Northumberland and the North York Moors today.

A blanketing has already settled in northern cities including Leeds and Sheffield, along with flurries in Northamptonshire and Suffolk.

The Met Office has also issued a fresh weather warning for snow and ice over Essex, Suffolk, East Sussex and Kent tonight.

Of the snow in London, Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey, told the Sun Online: "It's a mix of snow, sleet and rain.

"The likelihood is that will continue through today overnight and we could see some lying snow in that warning area overnight.

"People may see a little bit of snow on tops of cars and things like that."

A yellow weather warning for ice is currently in place over most of eastern Britain, set to last until 10am tomorrow.

According to forecasters "snow and hail showers could lead to icy surfaces, with possible travel disruption".

There is also "an increased chance of accident or injury" over untreated surfaces with "longer journey times".

It comes as the mercury gets set to plummet further overnight - with lows of -7C expected.

Met Office forecaster Matthew Box told The Sun Online: "We’ve got a cold air mass across the UK from the north.

"Behind it are showers and they’re bringing a mix of rain sleet and snow mainly to the east of the UK.

"This morning in particular we’ve got temperatures at or below zero in many places."

Mr Box said the wintry showers are "coming in from a north easterly wind" moving in from the Arctic, affecting the likes of East Anglia, the north east of England and northern and eastern Scotland.

A mix of snow, sleet and hail is expected to grip those parts - before temperatures dip further overnight.

Mr Box said: "It’s going to stay cold and there will be a chance of winter showers - they’re going to be most frequent today and into tomorrow.

"It will be a cold night for the UK.

"We are expecting overnight tonight into Friday morning temperatures to get down to lows of -5C to -7C across areas of Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland."

The cold snap has replaced last week's sunshine and highs of 20C, with top temperatures across the UK set to be around 10C heading into the weekend.

Wintry conditions will be most frequent in areas exposed to the north easterly wind coming from the North Sea, with the east of Scotland and England bearing the brunt of the freeze.

The south east of England is also due a battering, with strong winds expected to reach speeds of up to 40mph.

As temperatures fell below freezing on Wednesday night through to Thursday morning, many councils also issued emergency protocols to deal with the sudden change.

Councils in Newcastle City, North Tyneside and Gateshead all introduced their severe weather emergency protocols on Wednesday night - which included services to help people who are sleeping rough try to stay safe.