LUNCHTIME shoppers had to take shelter yesterday as Derby was hit by a flurry of snow just before 1pm, coating the city centre in a thin layer after falling for about 20 minutes.

Snowfalls were also reported in Swadlincote, while in Ripley snow fell heavily throughout the afternoon.

Weather experts said more snow was expected at the weekend.

A spokeswoman for the Met Office said: "We are likely to see snow in Derbyshire on Saturday, and on Sunday there are snow showers coming in from the Irish Sea."

Meanwhile, a Derbyshire gambler is in line to win more than £14,000 if it snows on Christmas Day.

Bookmaker William Hill said the pay-out would be the single biggest win for a white Christmas bet it has ever taken.

Forecasts of snow – along with yesterday's fall – have prompted a flurry of punters to place bets on it being a white Christmas, forcing the odds on snow falling at Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day to drop to 9/4 with William Hill.

But a spokesman for the company said the Derbyshire man, who did not want to be identified, placed his bet weeks before the recent snow when odds were a lot stronger.

Rupert Adams said: "His original stake was £1,700. He seems to know something and he outdid the market."

He said William Hill would have to pay out millions of pounds if there is a blanket of snow across the country on December 25.