PEOPLE heading down York's Haxby Road could be forgiven for thinking the weather had turned distinctly wintry this morning.

"Snow" fell at the confectionery factory after design agency Anthem brought in fake snow machines to promote a Christmas advert for the company's Quality Street, which launches on national TV next week.

The agency's Jinny Truman said: "It's a beautiful day and with the snow lying on the ground it looked great. Coming in to work this morning everybody was smiling."

Meanwhile, the real thing is expected to fall over parts of North Yorkshire this weekend as northerly winds bring plummeting temperatures.

Forecasters say there could be sleet or snow at higher levels on Friday and Saturday, and the wintry showers could get to lower levels such as York, especially on Saturday night.

Temperatures are expected to reach only 3 or 4 C tomorrow in York, with the strong northerly winds making it feel bitterly cold.