GET ready for the big freeze.

Forecasters last night (Tuesday) predicted that Suffolk could be hit by a flurry of snow by the end of the week - and then at least a month of bitterly cold conditions.

The snow might not come in the quantity that was seen last December – but the monthly forecast from the Met Office suggests it could hang around until well into next month.

The news from the government's Met Office is, in most people's eyes, pretty grim.

By Thursday (tomorrow) it is are expected to feel the full force of a blast from the Arctic via Scandinavia.

Forecasters aren't predicting a massive snowfall like that which heralded the start of last winter's cold spell – but they do warn that the temperature will plummet and that we could see some snow showers blowing in from the North Sea.

And what's more they don't see any sign of temperatures easing for several more weeks – until the middle of December at the earliest.

No one is making any promises about the odds of a White Christmas – especially as bookies insist on snow falling on December 25 to pay out – but it does look as if the ground could be frozen hard as the festive season gathers pace even if people aren't living in a Winter Wonderland.