BLIZZARD conditions are set to sweep in, bringing "a real taste of winter to the whole of the UK".

Frequent snow showers and strong winds are expected widely across Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the north of England on Thursday with the possibility of sleet or snow for a short time in the south of the UK.

Forecasters said it will be much colder for all parts of the country with daytime highs of 2C to 5C but it will feel even colder with gale-force winds.

The Met Office described it as a "real taste of winter" caused by a p olar airmass, which originated over northern Canada, spreading south across the UK.

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Prison officers who stopped hundreds of rioting inmates from taking over an entire jail have been hailed as "heroic".

Last month prisoners across four wings of HMP Birmingham, run by security firm G4S, wreaked havoc, causing an estimated £2 million of damage.

More than 500 prisoners, a third of the jail's population, were shipped out of what is one of the country's largest prisons following the 12-hour riot, but are yet to return.

As details emerge over the disturbance, the "brave" actions of a number of staff members have been praised.

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A man will go on trial today charged with murdering a 79-year-old woman who fostered dozens of children.

Widowed mother-of-nine Norma Bell was found in her terraced home in Westbourne Road, Hartlepool, in April following a fire.

Asbestos recovery worker Gareth Dack, 33, of Windermere Road, Hartlepool, will appear at Teesside Crown Court charged with her murder. He denied the offence at a previous hearing.

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a 23-year-old man whose body was found by the side of a road in Lincolnshire.

Chase Tate was found dead on the A1104 at Miles Cross Hill, Ulceby, at 5.05am on Saturday by a member of the public who alerted police.

Lincolnshire Police said: "A local man aged 21 has been arrested on suspicion of murder."

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