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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Alahna Kindred

Hardy Brits brave bitter cold to swim outdoors in bonkers Christmas Day tradition

People across the UK have braved the temperatures and gone swimming outdoors to start their Christmas Day celebrations.

The brave swimmers could be seen taking a dip in festive hats and costumes in The Serpentine, in London's Hyde Park, early this morning.

Meanwhile, people in Tynemouth wore bikinis, swimming shorts and Father Christmas hats as they entered the sea at King Edward's Bay.

Temperatures at around 8am were 6C in northern parts of the country, while it was slightly warmer in the south at 10C, the Met Office said.

Members of the Serpentine Swimming Club took part in the Peter Pan Cup 100-yard race, which has been held every Christmas Day since 1864.

Swimmers braved the cold in Brighton this morning (JAMIE LASHMAR / EDDIE MITCHELL)

Some were dressed as Christmas elves, while others donned Santa hats.

Some of those at Boscombe beach in Dorset also wore fancy dress while taking their early morning dips in a swim that raises money for Macmillan Caring Locally.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham, Blackroot Pool in Sutton Park hosted dozens of swimmers.

It comes as the Met Office has issued an alert for ice and wintry showers with the possibility of snow in some areas.

One man wears a Santa beard as he braves the cold water in Southsea (Jordan Pettitt/Solent News)
One man wears a turkey on his head as he braves the cold water in Southsea (Jordan Pettitt/Solent News)

The weather gurus said: "Strengthening west-northwesterly winds will bring increasingly frequent wintry showers to parts of Scotland through Sunday night and into Monday morning.

"These may fall as snow to low levels for a time where temporary accumulations of 1-3 cm are possible, with 5-10 cm of snow over the hills.

Most of Scotland will bear the brunt of cold conditions and affected areas include Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire Moray, Lothian and Strathclyde.

Swimmers take part in the Macmillan Boscombe White Christmas Dip in Bournemouth, Dorset (PA)

The latest warning is in place from 9pm tonight and is set to last until 6pm on Boxing Day.

Showers are expected to continue within the warning areas throughout Monday and a further 10cm of snow is possible in Highland areas.

"Icy surfaces will be an additional hazard, especially across parts of Western Scotland later in the night where showers will fall as rain or sleet," they said.

Members of the Serpentine Swimming Club take part in the Peter Pan Cup race (PA)

"Snow showers will extend to central and southern parts of Scotland by Monday morning, although any lying snow will be confined to higher ground."

People have been warned to watch for icy conditions on the road and journeys could take longer.

There will "probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths," they said.

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