Freezing cold weather, snow and ice are set to return to the UK this week and now gardeners are being urged to consider what they can do to reduce the impact on the living things in their gardens.

As the Met Office predicts heavy winds as well as snow on the way for parts of the UK this week, the risk of frozen gardens has increased.

And while many gardeners probably think of summer as the time they see birds hopping in and out of their green spaces, January is a time when many winter birds are still trying to survive freezing cold temperatures without migrating or hibernating, fighting over often scarce resources.

One such resource is water, and although it might seem like water is plentiful in winter, it’s often frozen over in winter and becomes inaccessible for birds.

Many of the most well known bird species in the UK don’t hibernate or migrate - including sparrows, starlings, pigeons, robins, owls, magpies and thrushes.

That’s why anyone with a birdbath in their garden is being urged to keep the water in it from freezing over in order to help birds survive the frosty temperatures.

To do so, simply pop a ball in your bird bath. This is enough to prevent ice from forming and keep the water a liquid.

Website Songbird Survival warns: “Water can be difficult to come by in the winter months, even though it feels like it does nothing but rain to us!

“Provide your birds with fresh, clean water, and take care to check daily that it has not frozen over. To try and stop available water from freezing, you can place a ball in the container.”

The site also adds that it’s good to clear snow from lawns in order to help birds continue to feed.

It continues: “If we have been blessed with some snowflakes, make sure to clear away patches of snow so that birds can access the soil underneath. Many birds feed on invertebrates in the soil and clearing the snow can be a small task that is very appreciated by our feathered friends.”