It's more likely to be a windy Christmas than a white one, with forecasters warning of blustery conditions and rain for many parts of the country.

Low-pressure conditions are likely to dominate from around Christmas Eve onwards which means spells of heavy rain and strong winds between Christmas and New Year.

Those living in the far north of Scotland may be the only ones to experience snow on Christmas Day.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Chivers said: "For the big day itself, Scotland is likely to see heavy and prolonged rain, but there is still a possibility of a white Christmas for some northern areas of Scotland.

"But, for the rest of the UK, it's largely going to be dry and breezy Christmas Day."

Friday is expected to be mostly dry, cloudy and mild, with brighter spells in the east and light rain in western Scotland, including Glasgow and its surrounding areas.

Ms Chivers added: "The RAC have dubbed this Friday as 'Frantic Friday' because it's anticipated to be really busy on the roads, but from a weather perspective bursts of rain and gusty winds on Boxing day may cause motorists more disruption on what is expected to be the busiest day of Christmas travel, with an expected 5.2 million car journeys planned."

According to new research from the Met Office, 1.56 million drivers have suffered at least one accident in the last five years due to winter road conditions, with motorists forking out an average of £1,362 in damages per incident.