HEAVY snow is forecast across England and Wales this week as high winds from Storm Goretti sweep in from northern France.

A Met Office yellow weather warning for snow covering Sheffield, Peterborough, Bath and Worcester, and much of Wales, will be in place from 6pm on Thursday until midday Friday.

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.

Snow is likely to develop over higher ground in south Wales late on Thursday, before rain turns to snow more widely across England and Wales overnight, the Met Office said.

Some areas could see 5-10cm of snow settle, while others could see as much as 20cm.

Storm Goretti is also expected to bring disruption in south-west England, with a yellow warning for strong winds in place for Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday evening.