Blizzards are set to batter parts of the UK over the weekend, forecasters have warned.

A mixture of snow and high winds will affect the north and west coasts of Scotland, with showers moving further inland.

The Met Office has issued yellow "be aware" warnings of snow for Orkney and Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian, Strathclyde, Tayside, Fife and central Scotland. The severe conditions are expected to move in from around 9am until midnight on Saturday.

Strathclyde, south west Scotland, the Lothians and Borders, Wales, Northern Ireland and the North West of England have also been warned of ice for Saturday and Sunday.

Stephen Davenport, a senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "A blizzard is snow with winds of 25mph or more, and we are looking at 30mph-35mph in exposed areas and 50mph-60mph gusts. These will mainly affect Caithness and Sutherland and eastern Aberdeenshire.

"The snow will struggle to get through to Glasgow but there will be some showers. There will be a few centimetres in places further north at the Moray Firth and down the coast along western Galloway.

"With the cold front coming south during Saturday, wet surfaces will turn cold and then into ice. That will begin to die off on Sunday morning, with milder conditions moving in."

The Met Office website said northern and western coastal fringes would see between 2in (5cm) and 4in (10cm) of snow, with 6in (15cm) likely over higher ground.

It said: "Snow showers will become frequent and heavy at times over much of northern and north west Scotland, including the Grampians, during Saturday. In addition, gale-force winds will result in temporary blizzard conditions and drifting over higher ground. The public should be aware that this is likely to cause disruption."

Police have asked motorists to be aware of the conditions they are driving in and to check routes before setting off.