Two cold weather warnings have been issued for election day, with ice and wintry showers expected in parts of Scotland.

The Met Office said surfaces and roads could be slippery, and advised people to take care when walking or driving, as voters prepare to head to the polls on Thursday.

One of the yellow warnings stretches from Perth, north through central Scotland, to Wick, and the other, further south, covers an area between Thornhill and Lanark.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know before heading to the polls

“We have showers passing through many parts of the UK today, and there’s a risk of that turning to ice and there could be some snow in parts of Scotland,” said Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon.

Mr Claydon explained that wintry showers were only expected in areas above 200m, and said: “We are not expecting they will cause any real disruption.

“That is why it is an ice warning, rather than a snow warning.”

The two yellow weather warnings are in place from 6pm on Wednesday, overnight to 10am on Thursday.

The Herald:

It has not snowed on the day of a general election since 1979.

The larger warning in central Scotland includes large parts of one of the closest election fights in the country – Perth and North Perthshire, where the SNP is defending a majority of just 21.

One candidate in another marginal seat not affected by today’s warnings has already said she believes weather could affect the vote.

Wendy Chamberlain, who is standing as a Liberal Democrat in North East Fife, told the PA news agency: “There is one part of the constituency near the north, Gauldry, and we were going up it and I said if it’s snowing on December 12 this is probably a place we’re not getting to.

READ MORE: When was the last time it snowed on the day of a general election?

“I think it means that postal votes will be quite critical and a lower turnout might have an impact as well.”

Aside from the Scotland forecast, meteorologists are not expecting bad conditions in any other parts of the country on polling day.

Mr Claydon added: “It’s looking unsettled for most, but that’s nothing unusual for the time of year.”