Snow storm covers town – during UK heatwave

These incredible pictures show that while the rest of the country basked in a heatwave one Leicestershire village was actually covered – in SNOW.

Residents living in Birstall, Leics., were stunned when a huge snow and hail shower swept overhead on an otherwise cloudless day.

The 20-minute mini-blizzard at 5pm on Saturday afternoon left cars and roads under 3ins of snow and ice while just a mile away temperatures soared to 27.2C (81F).

Shocked Sian Colver, 28, captured the storm, which battered the village with ice balls the size of large marbles, on camera from her bedroom window.

The RSPCA volunteer said: ”It was fascinating. I was having a lie down and heard this odd sound.

”I looked outside and hail stones were bouncing all over the road.

”I went outside afterwards and paint had chipped off the windows. The stones were the size of your thumbnail and really hard like bullets.”

Meanwhile, in Newquay

Mum Janice, 58, added: ”We had hail smashing against the patio door like someone was hurling stones at the house.”

Met Office forecaster Andy Bodenham said hail and snow storms on hot days were unusual.

He said: ”On Saturday, we did hear of some reports of hail in Sheffield, too.

”These big hail stones are formed at the top of cumulonimbus clouds where it’s freezing cold.

”They come down from about 30,000ft – the height aeroplanes fly – and it’s the big difference in temperatures between high up and lower down that causes the thunder storms that can turn into hail showers and cause such damage.”