In Pictures: UK and Ireland shiver as cold snap sweeps in

Snow blanketed northern parts on Tuesday, with freezing weather expected to move south by Wednesday.

A woman pulls a child on a sledge through the snow beside the beach huts at Blyth in Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)

People in the north of England, Scotland and the island of Ireland have woken up to snow as a cold snap swept in.

Tuesday could be the coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures set to plunge to minus 15C in some isolated Scottish glens.

People in southern England and South Wales can expect to see snow on Wednesday but it is unclear whether it will settle, the Met Office said.