Shropshire’s icy cold snap brought with it the earliest lying snow for more than 70 years as temperatures hovered around freezing level, weather forecasters said today.

John Warner, Shropshire Star weatherman, said the chilly temperatures and snow flurries seen last night were unusual for October.

He said: “It looks as though on October 31, 1934, there was an inch of lying snow in Shropshire and this is the earliest since then. It just depends whether it is actual lying snow.”

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He added that more snow was expected this evening and overnight with temperatures set to hover around the 0 degrees C (32 degree F) mark.

Light snow and sleet started falling in north Shropshire – including Wem, Whitchurch and Market Drayton – early yesterday afternoon before being reported in Telford and Shrewsbury.

Rupert Adams, William Hill spokesman, said the bookmaker was set to slash its odds on a white Christmas following the early arrival of snow.

“Early snow is always a huge catalyst for betting on a white Christmas,” he said.

“The odds are 6-1 on a white Christmas in Glasgow and 8-1 in other major cities, but I would be surprised if the odds were still that long at the end of today after the weather we’ve had.”

Football matches including Shifnal Town’s trip to Coleshill Town, The New Saints’ clash with Newi Cefn Druids, Caersws’ trip to Aberystwyth and Neath’s visit to Newtown were either postponed or abandoned last night because of adverse weather conditions.