The Met Office has issued a snow warning for every region of the UK this week – apart from London and south east England.

Severe weather warnings have been issued across the UK as a mass of cold air that originated in Canada blows in from the north with snow showers expected in many parts of the country.

Surrey Comet: Snow showers in the UKSnow showers in the UK

Picture: Met Office map of the areas to be hit by snow showers.

The snow will hit many northern, eastern and western coasts but many inland areas and the south coast will be safe.

This will likely save London from snow but it will still be cold with strong northwesterly winds and temperatures dipping below freezing.

Jenny Rourke, Met Office meteorologist, said: “A cold spell of weather will affect the UK from Wednesday onwards.

“With strong northwesterly winds all areas will feel the cold and there will be snow showers, especially in northern and western areas.

“With wintry weather anticipated later this week, we’ve issued weather warnings for snow and wind and we advise people to check the latest forecast and weather warnings before they travel.”

Rod Dennis, RAC spokesman, said: “Even a small amount of snowfall has the potential to cause major disruption for motorists.

“The fact that drivers in some parts of the country will be faced with strong winds, snow showers and icy stretches increases the chances of problems on the road enormously.

“Commuters and those drivers planning longer journeys this week must heed the weather warnings and be prepared for tricky driving conditions and significantly extended journey times.

“A lot of accidents happen when people are in rush – with conditions deteriorating this week, we strongly advise motorists to plan their trips carefully and consider rearranging any non-essential journeys in the parts of the country most likely to be affected by the bad weather.”