LANCASHIRE is bracing itself for a wintry blast as temperatures drop below freezing.
Last night the temperatures dropped to minus one, the lowest it has been since the summer.
Forecasters predicted that it will get even colder by mid-week, with daytime temperatures as low as five degrees celsius in some parts and cold winds expected are to bring a dusting of snow to higher ground.
The first migrating Siberian swans have arrived three weeks early in some parts of the country.
According to folklore, their early arrival signals the start of a long, harsh winter.
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