Bookies slash odds on white Christmas as forecasters predict more snow storms are set to batter Britain this weekend
BOOKIES have slashed the odds on a white Christmas after parts of Britain were lashed with snow storms.
The furious flurry was the first major snowfall of the year and the Met Office has issued warnings that more storms are on their way with temperatures plummeting below zero.
Heavy snow has fallen in the north west and in Devon, Cornwall and west Wales.
The Environment Agency has 37 flood alerts in place across the country.
Heavy storms caused terror in the air as a Flybe plane from Manchester to Amsterdam was diverted after being struck by lightning ten minutes after take off.
One passenger said: "It was a horrifying experience and my life flashed before my eyes."
A Met Office spokesman said more snow is expected over the weekend in Wales, Yorkshire, the Lake District and western parts of Scotland.
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Meanwhile bookies are predicting a record number of bets on a white Christmas.
Ladbrokes said they'd already had more than 1,000 bets in London alone.
Coral slashed the odds of a white Christmas from 4-6 to 1-4.
John Hill, from Coral, said: "The latest batch of snow in some parts of the UK has prompted a huge gamble on there being a white Christmas this year.
"The odds now suggest that there will be snowfall on Christmas Day, with Aberdeen and Edinburgh the most likely cities to be hit."
Coral is offering odds of odds of 7-1 in Manchester and Belfast on December 25, with Newcastle at 6-1 and Edinburgh at 9-2.
Cardiff, London and Birmingham are predicted an 8-1 chance of snowfall.
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