AN alert has been issued warning of “severe cold weather and icy conditions” later this week.

The amber level 3 alert, which urges for ‘severe weather action’, will be in place from 6pm on Wednesday, December 7, until 9am on Monday, December 12.

The warning, which is triggered by the Met Office, covers the whole of England including the south west and says there is a 90 per cent probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions.

Read more: Brrr-ace yourselves: cold spell could bring minus 10C this week

The warning reads: “Rather cold conditions are expected to turn colder across much of the UK later Wednesday and through Thursday as air from the Arctic spreads south across the country.

“Very cold nights are expected, with widespread frosts and potentially severe frosts.

"Daytime temperatures persisting near or just above freezing, with overnight temperatures continuing to trend downwards.

“Wintry showers are also likely to affect some coasts, perhaps pushing into some inland areas at times, bringing a risk of icy patches.”

Read more: What conditions we’ll need to see snow in Dorset this winter

As reported, very cold conditions are expected later this week with a chance some areas could see lows of minus 10C by the end of the week.

Currently, the Met Office is forecasting cold and sunny conditions for the rest of the week with highs of around 4C during the day but feeling more like between 0C and 2C.

By night, temperatures of minus 6C are forecast which could feel like more like minus 9C by Thursday night.