Storm Goretti brings snow after coldest night of winter

Large parts of England and Wales are expected to be hit with heavy snow this week, brought by the high winds of Storm Goretti, the Met Office has warned.

- IZZIE ADDISON

A yellow weather warning for snow, expected in a large swathe of England covering Sheffield, Peterborough, Bath and Worcester, as well as much of Wales, will be in place from 6pm tomorrow until midday Friday.

The severe wintry weather will be brought by strong winds over northern France, named Storm Goretti by the country's forecaster, Meteo France.

The drop in temperatures has triggered cold weather payments for hundreds of thousands of households, designed to help elderly and vulnerable people with heating costs, the government said.

Eligible households automatically receive £25 when temperatures are recorded or forecast to be zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days.

Payments will support households in 451 postcode areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including Penrith, in Cumbria, the Yorkshire Dales, Norwich, in Norfolk, Milton Keynes, in Buckinghamshire, and Crawley, in West Sussex.