UK weather: Frost and 50mph gales to hit UK as Britain plunges to -6C

Temperatures dropped as low as -6C in places on Saturday night

A meadow in London covered in frost in October 2015 (Rex Features)

Britain’s below-freezing temperatures and snow is set to be replaced by widespread frost and gales potentially reaching 50mph.

Temperatures dropped across the country over the weekend, with Topcliffe in North Yorkshire recording the lowest overnight temperature of minus six degrees Celsius, while Benson in south Oxfordshire recorded minus 5.6 degrees Celsius.

The weekend weather had caused the RAC to warn motorists of potentially hazardous driving conditions from the snow, sleet and rain seen in parts of the country.

Day temperatures this week are set to rise to the seasonal average of between eight and 10 degrees Celsius, but the Met Office has warned that cold overnight temperatures on Sunday will cause a widespread frost into Monday morning.

MeteoGroup forecaster Billy Payne also predicted patches of freezing fog on Sunday night, saying: “It’s still a bit wintry in the hills but any snow which comes down will be short lived.”

A fresh weather front arriving on Monday will see cloud and rain across northwest Scotland and Northern Ireland, gradually pushing milder temperatures across the UK, though snow is expected to remain across the mountains in Scotland.

But temperatures will drop once more on Wednesday night to as low as minus three degrees Celsius in rural areas in the south and east.

A Met Office spokesperson said there will be “blustery winds” throughout the week, with gales potentially reaching up to 50mph across the western and northern coastal areas of the UK.

Additional reporting by PA