Daredevils filmed sledging down alleys and hurling snowballs amid flurries of wintry weather

Daredevils have been filmed sledging down alleys and hurling snowballs at each other after an Arctic blast which brought sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall.

The flurry caused a white-out across much of the Midlands and Northern England, but doughty residents took to the streets to have some winter fun.

Young men in Sheffield, South Yorks., were captured flying down a steep ginnel after heavy snow fell in the city from around 7pm on Monday evening.

One excited group member counted down and then gave his friend a push in the makeshift toboggan - before telling him to watch out as he headed towards a road.

In the city's Weston Park, locals were out and about creating several snowmen - with many still soaking up the artic conditions as late as 11pm.

A short walk away, in the Broomhill district, revellers were seen tossing snowballs across the streets as they made the most of the flurry. Elsewhere, cars were recorded struggling to make their way up slopes in the city.

A Met Office spokesperson said the conditions, which have closed schools and roads, would continue throughout the week for parts of the UK. They said an arctic maritime airmass, already over Northern Britain, would move southwards into the rest of the UK on Tuesday.

Yellow National Severe Weather Warnings for snow and ice are currently in place from Monday to Wednesday, affecting parts of Scotland, the whole of Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England, north Wales and the north Midlands.

Dan Suri, a chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “An area of low pressure slides its way eastwards on Monday night.

“The associated frontal system, marking the boundary between cold air in the north and milder conditions to the south, will bring disruptive snow to some areas between Monday evening and Tuesday morning.

“This is likely to coincide with rush hour, leading to disruption to some transport routes across a central swathe of the UK on Tuesday morning. It will also be windy in the far south.”