BRITAIN is bracing itself for the return of the big freeze ? with temperatures set to plunge to minus 9C.
Forecasters yesterday predicted the winter of discontent will continue to freeze our assets ? and blizzards could batter the country for another month.
More than two inches of snow is expected in northern Scotland and in parts of Wales this week, with Merseyside, Derbyshire and Shropshire also likely to be hit.
The met office has also warned of widespread icy roads in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, north west and south west England.
The weekend saw a low of minus 7C in Benson, Oxon and dozens of sports fixtures were cancelled across the country on Saturday and yesterday.
Watford?s Championship match against Swansea was postponed because of a frozen pitch, along with Oldham?s League One match against Brentford and League Two matches at Cheltenham, Lincoln City and Rotherham.
The news came after it was revealed that last month was the coldest January for 20 years.
Climatologist Philip Eden said: ?Although the second half of the month was unremarkable temperature-wise, the severity of the cold period during the first half was such that January turned out to be the coldest since 1987, and the ninth coldest in the last 100 years.?
The big freeze has already left an estimated 5.9million homes with repair bills averaging ?343, according to a survey.
Repairers HomeServe said 4.7m homes were uninsured.
Boiler repair call-outs hit 2.2m homes while roof repairs affected nearly 1m.
MeteoGroup forecaster Tony Conland said it would stay chilly in Scotland this week ?with the potential for snow?.
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