UK weather: Snow hits England and Wales as forecasters warn of ice

More snow flurries are expected overnight into Tuesday in parts of the UK, as forecasters warn over icy conditions in England and Wales.

Southern areas of England and south Wales were expected to see snow showers on Monday evening, the Met Office said.

The weather service has issued a warning for ice in those areas, with some icy patches on roads to be expected.

More than 100 flood warnings remain in place, mostly in southern England.

The Met Office had issued a yellow warning for ice and small amounts of snow in southern England and southern Wales. It expired at 03:00 GMT on Tuesday.

BBC Weather presenter Stav Danaossaid: "Given these wintry showers, and also wet surfaces after recent wet weather, some icy patches are likely on untreated surfaces."

Earlier on Monday, snowfall hit parts of southern England including Kent and London, but not much snow appeared to have settled with some areas only seeing a "dusting" of snow, the Met Office said.

Around the UK, temperatures could fall as low as -9C in rural Scotland and -6C in rural Wales overnight as Britain experiences a cold spell.

Tuesday is expected to be dry and cold, especially in the south, where temperatures will reach no higher than 1C to 3C, according to the Met Office.

On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office issued an amber cold weather warning for the South West, South East, West Midlands, East Midlands and North West parts of England until 12:00 on Friday.

An amber alert means that the impact of cold weather is likely to be felt across the whole health service for an extended period of time.

A yellow cold weather warning until Friday for other parts of England remains in place.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, from UKHSA, stressed the importance of checking on those who could be vulnerable.

For older people in particular, cold weather can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and worsening arthritis. There can also be an increase in accidents at home, due to a loss of strength and dexterity in the hands.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has activated an emergency severe weather plan to ensure councils across the capital open additional emergency accommodation for people sleeping rough. A similar scheme has been activated in Reading, offering a bed to anyone who is sleeping rough.

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Meanwhile, there are 125 flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected - in place in England, mainly in southern and central England. One flood warning is also in place in Wales, near the River Ritec at Tenby. More than 130 flood alerts - meaning flooding is possible - were also in place at around midnight.

It follows a week of heavy rainfall last week, some of which came as part of Storm Henk.

Flooding minister Robbie Moore, making a statement on Storm Henk, told MPs on Monday 2,000 properties have been flooded because of it.

He said: "There is now an improving picture across the country, but as we enter a dry spell existing flood warnings always still remain in place and we will continue to monitor the situation very closely."

Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed criticised the government's long-term record on flooding, highlighting that the EA had found that more than 4,000 flood defences were considered to be in a poor or very poor condition last year.

But Mr Moore said the government was investing £5.2bn in flood defence schemes over the next six years.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said the government's response to flooding is not "good enough", and said his party would have established a task force earlier in the year to tackle the problem.