Britain braced for up to 25cm of snow

Weather forecasters are warning of severe travel disruption on Friday, with predictions of up to 25cm (10in) of snow falling across large parts of Britain.

Temperatures are expected to remain below zero in large parts of the country on what is predicted to be a "messy" day for travel.

Blizzards and strong winds are set to make conditions treacherous on the roads while motorists are being warned that heavy snow will arrive before the morning rush hour.

The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning for the east Midlands, the north and south-west, Wales, the West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber.

Laura Caldwell, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said 10-15cm was predicted to fall quite widely with as much as 25cm set to cover the hills.

"Parts of the West Country, Wales, the West Midlands and central and southern England are going to get quite a bit of snow tomorrow," she added.

"There will be quite a few centimetres in the morning with up to 10cm falling through the day.

"That snow will carry on, pushing north and east so it will cover all of England by the end of the day and even parts of southern Scotland."

Wales and the Midlands are expected to see the worst of the snow, while London and East Anglia are likely see accumulations of around 10cm.

The snow is expected to ease off later in the day, remaining largely in eastern areas.

The warnings came as police said a pensioner who was found dead in the street near his home may have collapsed while clearing snow from his driveway. Graham Clark, who was in his 70s, was discovered with serious head injuries in the village of Buxhall in Suffolk on Tuesday afternoon.

In Dover, Kent, four accidents were reported on the A258 within the space of three hours, prompting police to urge motorists to take extra care as temperatures fall.

Temperatures varied significantly on Wednesday, with Broom's Barn in Suffolk recording a high of -4.5C and Marham in Norfolk -4.4C, while Plymouth almost basked at 7C. At Cavendish, Cambridgeshire, the temperature was a chilly -11.9C at 6am on Thursday.