Britain is facing a 10-day wintry blast from the North Sea with temperatures plummeting as low as minus six degrees Celsius, forecasters have warned.

The earliest widespread snowfall for 17 years caused disruption across the UK yesterday with up to 15cm of snow settling in northern England and the Scottish Highlands.

The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for widespread icy roads and heavy snow across the north-east, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands, the east and south-west of England as well as parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

It warned of snowfall reaching up to 25cm over higher ground by Saturday.

Stephen Davenport, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “It is unusual for it to be this cold at this time of year. This kind of weather with persistent north-easterly winds is highly unusual.

“There is high pressure over Greenland and low pressure in the Baltics so we have winds blowing from the north-east across Europe.

“It will fluctuate a bit but not by very much so we’re looking at at least the next week and a half staying thoroughly cold. Day-time temperatures will be between one degree Celsius and three degrees Celsius and generally between minus two degrees Celsius and minus four degrees Celsius overnight.

“We’re expecting to see more snow showers coming down the eastern side, coming down across Cornwall and Wales and maybe parts of the south-east.”