Odds of a white Christmas in Birmingham and the Midlands slashed
Bookies were preparing for a costly white Christmas today by cutting the odds of festive snow.
With the cold snap continuing to cause havoc across the UK, thousands of people are betting the wintry weather will remain.
Bookmaker William Hill said it had received an estimated 22,000 bets on a white Christmas.
Odds of a white Christmas in Birmingham have tumbled from 7/1 at the start of the month to around 2/1 today, even though the current Met Office forecasts show little chance of snow beyond tomorrow in the Midlands.
The Met Office will declare a white Christmas in Birmingham if it snows at the Bull Ring on Christmas Day.
One customer from Derbyshire could win a record £14,700 payout if it snows on December 25 in Aberdeen, Cardiff and London after he staked £1,700, according to the firm.
Spokesman Rupert Adams said: "The nationwide gamble on a white Christmas has meant that William Hill has cut the price of snow on Christmas day for nine days in a row, with London now 2/1 from an original 8/1.
"Aberdeen is 5/4 to have snow, with Glasgow 13/8.
"Our Christmas party is cancelled until the new year and only then if the sun shines on Christmas day."
The 2/1 odds for London are the shortest price offered with five days to go in more than 30 years, he added.
Ladbrokes said it was offering its shortest ever price for a white Christmas in London.
The firm set the odds at 11/8, which eclipses the 6/4 it quoted in 1999.
Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said: "Weather watchers are in no doubt that we are set for a white Christmas.
"The very thought of it has left us frozen with fear."
Michael Dukes, forecast manager for MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said it was not yet possible to predict what would happen on Christmas Day.
It was not clear whether the freezing conditions would remain beyond the middle of the week or if a milder system would instead move in, according to Mr Dukes.
He said: "The cold spell is going to last until next week.
"The big question mark is whether it's going to finish before Christmas or not.
"If you are betting on a white Christmas I still can't advise you - we really don't know."
