It may be Bonfire Night but some people could be forgiven for thinking they had woken up on Christmas morning.

Around two inches of snow fell overnight producing a winter wonderland in parts of Teesdale and Weardale in County Durham.

Motorists were left scraping their cars after the unexpected wintery blast brought a blanket of white that coated the hills and rooftops of villages.

Durham County Council said it was the authority’s first recorded snow fall this winter.

It may only be Bonfire Night – yet residents in the village of Harwood in Teesdale, County Durham must have woken up this morning thinking it was Christmas Day

Heavy snowfall overnight left a blanket of snow two inches deep, making for beautiful wintry scenes, while also creating difficult driving conditions for residents and commuters

Winter has officially arrived after countryside in the north of the country was sprinkled with snow – and cold temperatures made sure the frosty conditions stuck

One man and his dog didn’t let a little snow keep them from taking a countryside walk. Inches of snow blanketed the valley of Teesdale and the surrounding areas, with Harwood being one of the worst affected villages

Commuters faced disruption as the roads were coated in the snow, and had to be extra careful on the roads, which could barely be seen amongst the snowy fields.

The stark white scenes were a far cry from the glorious autumnal scenes of the last week, with trees bursting with russet, gold and red leaves creating a picturesque British countryside.

As temperatures plummeted last night, the country suffered biting winds and sprinkles of snow showers.

In a bid to be prepared for any more snowfall, Highways Agency staff readied a stockpile of salt for winter at the Highways Agency’s North East depot in County Durham today.

Autumn has definitely tipped into winter, as the Met Office predicted that very chilly nights and showers are on their way and look set to stay.

Today outbreaks of rain will spread eastwards across the UK, with some snow covering high ground in Scotland, the Met Office warned.

As far as the eye can see! It looked like winter had come early after the snow shower, which has heralded the start of winter for those in Harwood and neighbouring areas

Temperatures fell across the country last night, with London seeing highs of 5C and parts of northern England barely above freezing

Already people have had to start scraping snow and frost off of their cars as chilly conditions hit the country lats night