A fresh blast of snow is expected in many parts as soon as Tuesday, bringing with it another wave of travel headaches.

Forecasters are predicting up to a foot of snow on higher ground in parts of Wales that day, with lighter but still significant falls in areas of central England.

With many people heading back to work after a Christmas break, drivers are being urged to take extra care on the roads.

The Met Office five-day forecast says there will be snow over much of central England, extending northwards, followed by sleet on Wednesday and Thursday, and light snow on Friday.

Temperatures tomorrow are expected to reach two degrees C during the day and 1C at night.

Snow could start falling tonight across Wales, central England and some parts of the South East.

Met Office forecaster Chris Bulmer said: “The worst affected region will be the West Midlands.

“Oxfordshire will get some sleet and snow but it shouldn’t be too disruptive.

“You could get a few centimetres of snow lying over the Chilterns but otherwise there shouldn’t be too much accumulation.”

Paul Knightley, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said a system moving in from the Atlantic this evening would meet colder air, forming snow.

"Across higher ground in central and south Wales, we can expect to see heavy snow - 20 to 30cm, or up to a foot, by Tuesday lunchtime, with strong winds pushing it higher in drifts. Tuesday is going to be a nasty day across much of Wales.

"We can also expect to see falls of 5 to 10cm (2-4 inches) in parts of the Midlands. We are not sure how far north or how far south this snow could fall. Southern counties may have some snow on Tuesday morning, but not enough to settle."

The forecast follows a spell of snow, sleet and ice which has gripped the UK for more than a week but relented in most parts over recent days.

Mr Knightley said the expected deluge would be "quite a big snowfall, probably the biggest fall of this cold spell, in Wales".

"It's particularly badly timed because people will going back to work after the weekend break," he added.

"There could be problems anywhere in Wales, or large parts of central and southern England, in the next 48 to 72 hours - people should check forecasts before going out."