Freezing fog shrouds southern England as Mercury drops to ZERO in London

Hopes for a festive white Christmas are thawing, as there is only a 15 percent chance that snow will fall in the capital on Christmas Day of this year.

Bookies have set the probability of snow in London at 11/2 on Christmas Day this year, despite experts predicting one of the coldest December ever.

Scotland is cheaper with prices 3/1 for Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen to see snow this Christmas.

Meanwhile, freezing fog wreaths caused travel chaos across England today when a van was left on its roof in the fast lane of the M4 – while experts predict December could be the coldest, with a 15 percent chance of snow on Christmas day in London.

Wiltshire drivers dodged to avoid a stranded "death trap" van lying upside down in the pitch-black M4 on the fog-covered M4 in the early hours of the morning.

Traffic cops said with a view obstructed by the blanket of freezing fog and no skylights on this stretch, motorists would not have seen the twisted turtle cart in the dark.

Amazingly, the vehicles managed to turn around and a tragedy was narrowly avoided – police cars sped to the scene at over 100 mph to lock the van and stop traffic.

The weather channel predicts December could be "the coldest in several years" as PaddyPower offers odds of 11/2 for a white Christmas in London.

England's misty start to the morning has already caused problems on the road in Wolverhampton when police and paramedics were called in to a multiple vehicle accident this morning

Wiltshire police said every minute that passed while the van "just sat there" increased the likelihood of traffic entering it and killing innocent people.

They said whoever was in the van fled the scene and left it upside down instead of calling for help and alerting oncoming traffic.

Police found the van on the roof just before 1am on lanes two and three of the M4 in Wiltshire.

The officers are still trying to find the driver.

It warned: & # 39; As traffic increases, some transportation disruptions are possible. The fog will slowly lift during the day but will persist in some places. & # 39;

Elsewhere on the roads, a driver with only minor injuries escaped unscathed after straying from a foggy road at Saltersgate Bank near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

Temperatures were around freezing when the British woke up this morning after mercury dropped to -4.9 ° C overnight in Tyndrum, Scotland.

With the likelihood of snow at Christmas this year being uncertain, research released this week revealed that snowy winters could be a thing of the past due to climate change.

The Met Office's analysis suggests that the south of England will no longer experience freezing days in the 2040s.

Until 2080, only very high areas and parts of northern Scotland could have sub-zero daytime temperatures.

The skyline and dome of St Paul & # 39; s Cathedral can be seen in central London this morning as the capital is surrounded by thick fog

A North Yorkshire driver escaped with only minor injuries after turning off a foggy road near Scarborough on Monday morning

Fog covered large parts of England today, including London this morning. In some areas, visibility dropped to less than 100 meters, the Met Office warned

The fog is expected to continue through Tuesday, with a frosty start for England, while rain and showers are forecast in the north as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

In colder temperatures, dew drops remain in the air, which evaporate and become clear as soon as the mercury begins to rise in the afternoon

Fog blocked view this morning at Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorsey amid a yellow weather warning from the Met Office

Cold and frosty conditions are returning as the UK goes into winter – Scotland, as Stirling Castle unveiled this morning, saw temperatures drop below zero overnight over the weekend

Motorists are advised to drive carefully as a thick layer of fog covered the streets of Oxfordshire this morning

Traffic builds up in thick fog as commuters enter London on the A3 Kingston Bypass in south-west London while the Met Office issues a yellow weather warning of freezing fog with disruption to transport for the south-east of England

Cold winters are currently forecast – maybe even some that could break current records.

Leon Brown of the Weather Channel told The Mirror, "Arctic incursions mean December could be the coldest in several years."

Today's forecast by the Met Office is: “Some coastal showers, others mostly dry.

Some sunny sections, but ice-cold clouds of mist clear up slowly and remain in places.

Later it will be wet and windy over northern and eastern Scotland. Cold. & # 39;

In other parts of the UK, a yellow rain warning is appropriate for Scotland.

Up to 50 mm of rain is expected to fall between 6 p.m. Monday and 9 p.m. Tuesday.

The Met Office announced the warning on Sunday morning, saying, “On Monday evening, an area of ​​persistent and heavy rain will spread from the east that will last much of the night before it rains on Tuesday. 20-30mm falls pretty far over the area with some hilly areas possibly catching 40-50mm.

More showers during the day could bring another 10-15 mm in places. If the soil is already saturated, it can cause flooding in some areas. & # 39;

Fog rests over London this morning as weather expert Leon Brown warned December could be the coldest the UK has ever seen

When England woke up to heavy fog, the Met Office issued a weather warning for Scotland that up to 50mm of rain could fall in 24 hours by Tuesday evening

The Environment Agency today issued 24 flood warnings for parts of East Anglia, the Midlands and the North West as humid and wintry conditions continue to set in across the UK

There were long lines on the A3 Kingston Bypass heading for London this morning as commuters drove through the fog

A freezing fog weather warning is in effect until 11 a.m. and extends from the south coast to Hull. Heavy rain warnings will apply to parts of Scotland starting tonight

The fog is expected to linger across much of England this morning, including the Oxfordshire countryside (pictured), until temperatures begin to rise just before noon

Temperatures were almost freezing when Londoners woke up this morning while the mercury dropped to minus 5 ° C yesterday

Tuesday is expected to get off to a frosty start, while milder conditions are expected to come later in the week, along with bursts of rain slowly moving west

Fog is expected to continue on Tuesday as the Met Office predicts rain and showers in the north and Wales, while southern England will remain cold with frosty starts.

The British forecast from Wednesday to Friday reads: “For many, good and dry on Wednesday, before gradually outbreaks of rain from the west on Thursday and Friday. Gradually become a little milder. & # 39;

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued 24 flood warnings for parts of East Anglia, the Midlands and the Northwest.