A GLOBAL cooldown lasting 120 years will trigger "more intense" winters that threaten months of freezing temperatures and snow "within a few years", climate scientists have warned.

The coldest winter in five years has been forecast for Britain, with "widespread snow" and brutal lows of -17C across Christmas expected to be a "shock to the system".

During the first two weeks of winter, the UK was crippled by an onslaught of cold snaps that brought heavy snow, hazardous ice and sub-zero temperatures virtually everywhere.

Speaking to Daily Star Online, climate and weather experts predict one cold spell a week until the end of winter in the UK, warning "you have been cool and it will get colder".

In the coming years, David Dilley, CEO of Global Weather Oscillations, believes winters will only become "more intense" in the UK due to a combination of "dangerous" climate factors.