A weather warning has been issued for parts of Scotland and northern England amid snowfalls and plummeting temperatures.

Wintry weather has replaced the glorious sunshine experienced by much of the UK last week and, now, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice for an area covering a large swathe of eastern Scotland, north-east England and Yorkshire.

The Met Office warning, which is from 8pm Wednesday to 10am Thursday, says: “Snow and hail showers could lead to icy surfaces, with possible travel disruption.”

Forecasters say just about anywhere in the UK could see snow or sleet showers over the next couple of days, but it is unlikely to accumulate at lower levels.

Met Office spokesman, Richard Miles, told the PA news agency the Arctic air moving south is likely to have the biggest effect from the Pennines northwards, but the south of England can also expect wintry showers.

He said: “The South East may well see wintry weather but you’re unlikely to see snow on the ground anywhere but high ground – somewhere like the South Downs.

“The Chilterns, the Cotswolds, Dartmoor, the Welsh mountains, in places like that you might see snow on the grass and it might lie for a while but, in most places, its not going to be a winter wonderland.”

Mr Miles said: “The air is going to be cold over the whole of the UK and the showers, when they come down, will be cold rain at the very best and pretty wintry in many places.”

He said: “You may see it coming down as snow even to lower levels in some places but it’s not going to settle but because the ground is just a bit too warm now at this time of year.”

By lunchtime on Wednesday there were reports of snowy scenes in upland areas including in Northumberland, County Durham and the North York Moors.

The cold snap is expected to last until the weekend when slighty warmer weather will come in from the west, bringing unsettled conditions.

Until then, temperatures are expected to be half those reached last week, when many areas basked in glorious sunshine and highs of 20C (68F).

And thermometers will fall below freezing overnight as the cold front pushes down from the North.

Commercial Director at Green Flag, Mark Newberry, said: “Although many of us thought the colder weather was behind us, it’s unfortunately starting to feel like winter again.

“After the lovely sunshine of recent days, the temperature is set to drop even further towards the end of this week, with some parts of the UK expecting snow, sleet, and icy conditions.

“Green Flag is urging drivers to take extra care when setting off on their journeys.”