Large swathes of the UK will see heavy snow in the coming days, with forecasters warning of dangerous icy conditions.

The Met Office has issued yellow snow and ice warnings across the North East and large parts of Scotland on Friday and Saturday, while much of England and Wales will see similar conditions between Monday and Wednesday.

Almost 8in (20cm) of snow could fall in the worst affected regions, with the Met Office warning that people may experience delays to travel, power cuts and risk of injury due to ice.

Forecasters say some rural communities could become “cut off” due to the downpours.

Ice is predicted to begin forming in the North East and Scotland from Friday afternoon, causing “difficult driving conditions”.

A large band of rain will also affect parts of the South West on Friday evening and for much of Saturday, which will begin to push north across Wales and England next week.

The Environment Agency had 56 flood warnings in place across England on Friday morning, meaning immediate action is required.

It comes after parts of Scotland saw 19cm of snow in just 24 hours overnight on Thursday, while areas in south-west England recorded almost 30mm of rainfall.

Nicola Maxey, a Met Office spokeswoman, told the PA news agency the downpours will be caused by a weather front moving in from the South West.

Ms Maxey said: “From Friday evening we’ve got a series of weather fronts bringing rain across Cornwall and much of Devon until tomorrow.

“As this rain starts to move north it will combine with cold air already over the UK, causing snow across much of Wales, where up to 20cm could fall in the highest regions.

“Over the weekend large swathes of the UK will see some form of snow, with warnings in place for much of Scotland and the north-east of England.

“Even parts of London and the South East should see a small flurry, which is unlikely to settle.”

She said the weekend will also be very cold, with the highest temperatures only reaching 6C, along with frost on both mornings.

Ms Maxey added: “As we move into next week another front will move in from the South West with long periods of snow and icy conditions for most of England, Wales and Scotland.

“Up to 5cm is expected off the coasts, which will reach highs of 15cm in the higher areas in Scotland and Wales.”

She warned drivers to prepare cautiously for “dangerous” icy conditions, which could cause some disruption and potential injury.