An Arctic chill will grip the country this weekend with temperatures plunging below zero in some areas, forecasters said today.

Parts of the country can expect blizzards as icy winds and wintry showers sweeping south from Scotland put an end to this week’s unseasonably mild weather.

MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said the wind chill will send temperatures below zero on Friday and Saturday night, with snow predicted for Scotland and North Yorkshire.

John Hutchinson, forecaster at MeteoGroup UK, said: “You will feel a sharp drop in temperature on Friday and by the end of the night there will be sleet and snow in northern Scotland.

”Places like the North Yorkshire Moors and Norfolk will see wintry showers, with strong winds all the way down the east coast.

”Daytime temperatures on Saturday are likely to be between 3 and 6 degrees centigrade, falling to below zero at night.”