The cold snap has brought an early Christmas present for ice skating fans, with ice thick enough to skate on in the Fens for the first time in more than four years.

They have been out on Welney Washes in Norfolk and flooded fields at Upware, near Cambridge, with temperatures as low as -8C in parts of the region.

Fields across the low-lying area often flood, with shallow waters offering safer ice to skate on than frozen lakes and rivers, where the waters below are far deeper.

The last time the ice was thick enough to skate was during the so-called Beast from the East freeze-up of February 2018.

Eastern Daily Press: A skater takes to the ice at Upware, near Cambridge A skater takes to the ice at Upware, near Cambridge (Image: Martin Bond, A Cambridge Diary)

Cambridge-based photographer Martin Bond captured a skater at Upware last weekend, with one of the familiar leaning telegraph poles seen across the Fens.

"I'm not a skater myself but I thought they may be have been out there, so I drove up to Upware, near Wicken Fen," he said.

"I just got lucky, this was the first time anyone had been out on the ice, there were probably around a dozen people there."

Eastern Daily Press: Aleysha Giles out enjoying the ice with her father Adam and friends at WelneyAleysha Giles out enjoying the ice with her father Adam and friends at Welney (Image: Adam Giles)

Film-maker Adam Giles, from Welney, his daughter Aleysha and friends enjoyed the ice at Welney.

"The conditions were amazing," said Mr Giles. "We arrived at 8.30am and walked gingerly out onto the ice.

"It cracked and creaked a bit but once we had checked the depth of water, there was literally a few inches underneath and we knew it was safe so we put our skates on and had a wonderful couple of hours of skating."

More skaters headed to the area as word spread on social media.

But the Fen Centre Skating Association has been urging caution.

Fen skaters say people should not take to the ice unless experienced locals - who know of hazards - are also out.

The dangers have been underlined this week by the deaths of four boys who died after falling through the ice at a lake near Solihull, near Birmingham.Eastern Daily Press: Prolonged cold spells can bring thick enough ice to skate on in the FensProlonged cold spells can bring thick enough ice to skate on in the Fens (Image: Matthew Usher)

The Fen Centre Skating Association says a prolonged cold snap is needed for enough ice to form to skate on safely.

That means at least four nights of frost, with temperatures falling to -4c or below and little thawing during the day.

Ice needs to be 40mm thick to be strong enough for skating.

Eastern Daily Press: Skaters on the frozen Well Creek in the 1970s Skaters on the frozen Well Creek in the 1970s (Image: Archant Archive)

The tradition of fen skating dates back to the 19th century and centres around Welney, where low-lying fields known as the Ouse Washes are allowed to flood each winter.

Ice skating competitions in the 1800s saw thousands travelling from as far away as the Netherlands to take part.

Skaters would also take to other drains and rivers as they froze, such as the Well Creek which runs through the villages of Upwell and Outwell, near Downham Market.