Parts of the River Thames froze for the first time in 60 years, while the UK plunges to the coldest temperatures ever recorded in February.
Seagulls perched on a frozen Thames in Teddington, southwest London, this afternoon, as it froze for the first time since Britain’s Big Freeze in 1963.
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The slow flow of water in the tidal section of the Thames is more susceptible to freezing, with a strong Baltic wind freezing parts of the river for the first time in decades.
Mercury is expected to drop below 5ºC in the capital tonight, after icicles were seen hanging from the fountains in London’s Trafalgar Square this afternoon.
North Yorkshire temperatures plunged to -15.3 ° C last night, setting a record low for any region of England in February.
Meanwhile, the UK’s coldest temperature in 65 years was recorded in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, on Wednesday night, with temperatures dropping to minus 23 ° C.
The Bookies have reduced the chances of Sunday being the coldest Valentine’s Day ever recorded to 7/2, with Coral suggesting the snow could last until next month.
Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said some of the temperature records were broken “in some way”.
“Normally, you would expect records to be broken at a certain point, but here we are seeing big differences,” he said.
Claydon warned that there is a chance of snowing as early as Sunday and said the Met Office would likely issue a warning for ice, which would pose “significant dangers”.
Councils across England urged people to take “extra care” tonight, with some being forced to briefly suspend garbage collection services when Storm Darcy hit the UK.
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Jeremy Hunt, a conservative deputy and chairman of the Health and Social Care Committee, participated in a debate on Commons this afternoon using a sling, after breaking his arm while running.
Hunt told lawmakers that he spent the morning at Royal Surrey County Hospital after slipping in icy conditions.