UK braced for more icy blasts from 'Beast from the East'

A man has died after being pulled from a lake as sub-zero temperatures swept across the UK - with further icy blasts and "blizzard-like" conditions yet to come.

The victim, in his 60s, fell into Danson Park in Welling, south east London, on Wednesday afternoon and was rescued by a member of the public, London Fire Brigade said.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the man was later pronounced dead in hospital.

Elsewhere, a young boy had a lucky escape when he was rescued from a frozen lake.

Firefighters rescued the youngster, who tried to run to the middle of a frozen lake and got trapped when the ice broke up at Laindon near Basildon, Essex on Wednesday afternoon

He was said to have been cold but otherwise unhurt.

It came as the highest level of weather warning was issued for Scotland and Ireland.

A red alert for Munster and Leinster in the Republic of Ireland and the central belt of Scotland has been put out for heavy snow and strong winds.