More snow is on the way for the UK with large parts of England and Wales expected to be covered by this morning, forecasters have predicted.

As much as 10 centimetres could fall over higher ground as a fresh band of rain, sleet and snow showers started moving across the country since midnight.

But the latest spell of wintry weather is expected to be brief with snow turning to rain by the weekend and milder temperatures next week.

Tiffany Curnick, a forecaster with Meteogroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “It’s all starting off overnight tonight. We’ve got a front moving in from the south-west that’s going to bring southern counties rain and possibly snow over the hills.

“It’s going to turn to snow after midnight as it moves northwards and by early tomorrow morning, we could be looking at it covering most of Wales and central and southern England.

“It could be up to five centimetres in places across Wales and the Midlands and 10 centimetres is possible across higher parts of Wales.

“We could see some more snow coming on Saturday night across Scotland and northern England but in the south it’s staying around average temperatures.”

South-east England is expected to reach double figures today at 10 degrees centigrade while the Midlands will rise to 5°C to 6°C while further north will remain around freezing.

Drivers have been urged to take extra care today as the chilly weather returns.

The AA said it will have extra patrols on duty to deal with breakdowns and call-outs.