THE freezing weather caused a rare natural phenomenon to occur on a North-East river today.

This image of ice pancakes was captured by award-winning photogapher Paul Kingston on the River Tees near Darlington.

The ice was formed following what was the coldest night of the winter so far, causing the huge frozen discs to form along the edges of the r.

Resembling white lily pads, the pancakes form as water foam freezes whilst being rotated in the river eddys.

The pancakes can reach a thickness of up to 10cm, if the conditions are right.

Swathes of the country fell below freezing on Tuesday night – with minus 13C recorded in Shropshire – and forecasters were warning of more chilly weather to come.

Although there was weather-related disruption across parts of the country, it was kept to a minimum in the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice until 11am tomorrow in parts of the region, with an ice start expected and snow forecast for higher ground.