Waterfalls freeze as temperatures plummet across the UK

Britain was plunged into a deep freeze over the weekend as temperatures plummeted into double figures below zero.

Minus 11.7C  was recorded at aptly named Chillingham Barns in Northumberland on Sunday night, the coldest temperature in England and Wales this winter.

The icy conditions spread all the way south, from -10.8C in Leeming, North Yorkshire, to -10.3C in Benson, Oxfordshire, and -9.9C in Odiham, Hampshire.

The freeze created a temporary challenge for rock climbers at Kinder Downfall in the Derbyshire Peak District. The site is normally home to a spectacular 30ft waterfall but it had frozen solid in the sub-zero temperatures.

The chilliest spot in Wales was Swyddffynnon in Dyfed, which was -6.5C. Coldest of all in the UK was Braemar in Aberdeenshire, which endured -12.6C.

The night-time average for this time of year is around 2C  in England and Wales and -2C in Scotland.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: ‘There was a perfect combination of very clear skies under a ridge of high pressure and snow on the ground, which is key.’

Several weather warnings in place due to the ice and risk of snow in higher areas came to an end yesterday as typical conditions returned. Daytime temperatures reached 10C  around Devon and Cornwall, melting thick snow and ice that had forced drivers to abandon vehicles. Motorists in Haytor, Dartmoor, were criticised for leaving cars to go sledging, making roads impassable.

Today daytime temperatures could reach 9C  in the North and 11C in the South. Parts of northern England will slip to -2Ctonight but elsewhere should be 0C or higher.

© Daily Mail