10:15pm UK, Wednesday October 13, 2004

Britain is about to be hit by one of the coldest winters in recent memory, according to the same weather experts who predicted 2004's summer would be a washout.   

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A taste of things to come?

And the first chill of the coming freeze will arrive on Monday, the forecasters say.   

The people at Metcheck.com believe the country will be subjected to a series of cold fronts sweeping Britain until Christmas. 

That could mean a white Xmas and more icy spells in the New Year. 

Senior forecaster Andrew Bond said: "From what we are predicting, Britain could see its coldest winter of the century so far.    

"It is time to ditch the wellies for woollies. This winter will be a lot more cold and less wet than previous winters. 

"The cold snap next week is nature giving us a taste of what is to come in the next few months."       

He added: "We are confident that we will see a higher than average frequency of northerly weather types, bringing not just colder weather but a more frequent snowfall than we have experienced in recent years."       

Bookies slashed their odds on a white Christmas from 8/1 to 6/1 in response to the news.   

Ladbrokes spokesman Warren Lush said: "There are a serieis of cold snaps ahead and we have seen a flurry of bets since a senior forecaster said he believed a white Chrismas was almost a certainty."   

But other forecasters are being more cautious.   

PA WeatherCentre said there was no evidence to back up a prediction of colder winter temperatures than usual.