Odds shorten on white Christmas

3 December 2008 06:43am

Bookmakers slashed the odds on a white Christmas as forecasters predicted more snowfall in some parts of the country.

Snow led to the closure of around 200 schools in the North West of England on Tuesday.

Forecasters said about 2.5cm of snow fell on hills in the region, creating poor driving conditions and resulting in school closures across Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. More snow is expected to arrive overnight in the North of England and Scotland, with up to 20 centimetres falling on high ground.

Laura Gilchrist, forecaster at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "Tonight a warm front of air from the west will hit a colder front, creating snow. By the early hours of tomorrow morning most parts of the country will be seeing either rain or snow.

"The worst hit areas will be the east of the UK, with heavy snow expected in Scotland and the North of England. There could be 10 to 20cm of snow on ground above 150 metres in Scotland and around 4cm on high areas in the North of England. It will be accompanied by strong winds, which could create blizzard conditions and drifting."

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes has cut the chance of a white Christmas in London to 11/4 from 3/1 following another run of money.

The bookmaker was originally offering 7/1 for snow on December 25 in the capital. But plummeting temperatures have forced Ladbrokes to slash the odds and a white Christmas could cost bookies up to £1 million.

Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: "We're frozen with fear at the prospect of a white Christmas. Interest in the traditional festive wager has gone into overdrive this year."

Glasgow is 2/1 to see snow, from an opening quote of 8/1. Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester are at 4/1. On Tuesday, drivers faced difficult conditions after snow fell overnight and rain turned to ice as temperatures dropped to as low as minus 4C in places.

In Scotland, emergency services urged motorists to take care as heavy snow hit northern areas, and there was black ice on roads across the country.

© The Press Association