Residents have been told to get ready for snow in parts of Dorset today.

An amber weather warning, meaning ‘be prepared,’ has been issued for parts of Dorset, including Dorchester.

The weather warning is in place from 2pm to 9pm this evening.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: “A band of rain will arrive from the southwest on Thursday afternoon, quickly turning to snow and becoming heavy at times. 3 to 7 cm is likely to accumulate quickly - within two to three hours - with up to 10 cm in some places. The highest snowfall accumulations are likely to be in areas above 150 metres or so.”

Meanwhile, a yellow weather warning, meaning ‘be aware’ is in place from 1pm today to 1pm on Friday.

Snow and ice are expected to bring disruption to parts of England and Wales.

Residents have been told to expect:

• Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers.

• Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel

• Some rural communities could become cut off

• Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected

• A chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces • Untreated pavements and cycle paths might be impassable because of black ice