FORECASTERS have issued a weather warning for ice to sweep across Wirral.

Between 10pm today (Wednesday) and 11am on Thursday, January 17, a cold snap is set to spread across the North West with icy patches with wintry showers also affecting some areas.

The Met Office is warning residents to be wary of untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths as injuries could occur from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Elsewhere in the country, more Northern areas of Scotland are expecting snow on higher ground.

Chief meteorologist Dan Suri said, “From Thursday colder arctic air will have spread across the country, with temperatures struggling to reach above 5 or 6 Celsius for most of us.

"This is close to the average January temperature for the UK - but since it has been quite a mild winter so far, many will notice the difference by the end of the week.

"It’s going to feel very cold overnight with temperatures widely dipping close to or below freezing.

“The colder weather will bring a range of winter hazards, with a widespread frost and icy stretches expected from Wednesday night and continuing into the weekend.

"Not a lot of snow is expected during this period, though we will see snow showers in some areas during Wednesday night and Thursday.

"Most of the snow showers will be over the hills and mountains, although snow could fall to lower levels in the north, and also some eastern parts of the country during Thursday.”