BBC News
 Many
parts of the country can expect snow
The UK is
bracing itself as the first big freeze of the winter gets underway.
Much of the UK woke up to frost on Wednesday, and forecasters
have warned that a band of sleet and snow will move north east
across England and Wales in the evening.
In Scotland,
which had already experienced freezing conditions over Christmas,
temperatures plunged further still overnight.
A low of -12
C was recorded at Altnaharra in Caithness, and forecasters predicted
that temperatures would stay well below freezing in many parts
of Scotland during the day.
Arctic blast
The lowest
overnight temperature recorded in England was -9.3 C in Redesdale,
Northumberland.
Experts say
the freezing weather is being caused by a cold front streaming
down from the Arctic Circle.
Over the next
few days, drivers across the UK face the danger of ice on the
roads.
Despite the
fact that no rain is forecast, it is likely that water left from
floods earlier this year could seep out and freeze over.
Freezing fog
has already made driving conditions in Scotland extremely hazardous.
But despite
the big freeze spreading across the UK, staff at the Royal Botanic
Gardens' country garden in West Sussex are already dealing with
the first signs of spring.
The mild weather
during the rest of December has meant that daffodils and primroses
at Wakehurst Place, near Ardingly, are flowering at least two
months before they should.
Horticulturists
are being forced to protect the early blooms amid fears that the
freezing weather could kill them off.
A spokesman
said: "We can't say whether this is an example of global
warming, but the seasons are very odd at the moment.
"This
is the first time in 50 years anyone can remember the shoots appearing
this soon before spring."
Among the
sporting casualties from the weather was Wednesday's race meeting
at Wetherby, west Yorkshire, which was cancelled.
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