Today is officially the first day of winter.

The Met Office has said temperatures could plunge to -4C in some areas with a widespread overnight frost returning.

A Met Office spokesman said a cold front will bring widespread frost and icy patches with even some snow over the hills.

He said: “This will push southwards and there could be some frost in the South-east.

"It is going to feel much cooler with overnight lows of -4C possible in rural spots by Wednesday morning.”

Sussex may be getting off lightly, though, as, according to some reports, there could be snow in some parts of the country as early as next week.

The meteorological calendar classifies winter as beginning in December and ending in February.

Average winter temperatures are largely based on your proximity to the sea because water loses heat more slowly than air, so the sea stays relatively warm over the winter.

January is on average the coldest month in the UK and December on average is the month with the least sunshine.

The strongest winds seen in the UK are most frequent in winter.