Parts of the UK are set to face heavy snow and severe cold again this week, after a brief respite from wintry conditions which have caused widespread disruption in recent days.

Despite the flurry of weather alerts for snow and ice finally ending on Sunday, which brings “markedly milder” temperatures, forecasts suggest parts of England will be again subject to snow and icy conditions between Monday and Thursday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a new weather alert in force over that period, warning that the freezing conditions “could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services”.

Many parts of the UK shivered through another freezing day on Saturday, as temperatures plunged as low as -15.7C in the Scottish Highlands after Storm Larisa battered parts of the UK with gales and blizzards.

Motorists were told only to drive if necessary, while two hill-walking families in north Wales had to be rescued after getting caught in poor weather, and rare snow rollers were spotted in Northern Ireland’s County Down.

But temperatures were again set to drop next week after hitting highs of 13C in London and Manchester on Sunday, with Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst warning that the UK is facing “a real rollercoaster in our weather over the next few days”.

“We’ll see temperatures rising and then falling again as we move through the rest of the weekend into the beginning of next week,” Mr Dewhurst said on Saturday. “The reason for this is low-pressure systems moving in from the Atlantic, bringing mild, wet and windy weather.

“However, as that moves away, the cold northerly air returns – Arctic air flooding south later Monday and into Tuesday, seeing the risk of snow once more.”

In its alert issued on Sunday morning, the UKHSA said there was an 80 per cent probability of severe cold weather, icy conditions and heavy snow between 6pm on Monday and 9am on Thursday in parts of England.

It remains unclear how much snow could fall on Tuesday, with showers perhaps merging to give more organised spells of snow in places.

Daniel Rudman, the Met Office’s deputy chief Forecaster had said on Friday: “There is an increasingly strong signal for colder air to once again feed into the north of the UK during Monday.

“This flow is likely to extend southwards with much of the UK likely to be under the influence of colder conditions overnight into Tuesday.

“Tuesday is set to remain a cold day, but it is not expected to be as cold as conditions have been this week, and there will be brighter periods for most. There are likely to be some showers too, although any snowfall is expected be over higher elevations.”