Warm outdoor clothing and footwear may be essential items for walkers, as new research suggests that the UK is likely to experience colder winter temperatures.

Scientists from the University of Reading have shown that a period of low solar activity will mean colder winters in Britain for the next 50 years.

Average temperatures are likely to fall below 2.5 degrees C, which is half the average UK winter temperature for the last 20 years.

Researchers stress that these results are not influenced by global climate change and instead examine the heat coming from the sun, rather than other factors, such as greenhouse gases, which may be preventing that warmth from entering the atmosphere.

Another recent study from McGill and Concordia universities has observed that as temperatures decrease people are less likely to go on walks.

It found that when the weather was below zero degrees C, too wet or snowy, it deterred urban residents from going outdoors.