Ice skating on the canal in Skipton

You know it's properly brass monkeys outside when the canals give up and decide to become a solid block of ice. The great Yorkshire freeze has hit Skipton, turning the local waterway into the town's most magnificent, and frankly, most treacherous, new ice rink.

The familiar tourist boats are stuck fast, looking less like pleasure cruisers and more like giant, chilly paperweights. But where there's a fresh sheet of ice, there's a plucky Brit willing to risk a dunking for a bit of a laugh. Sure enough, locals were reportedly seen digging out skates that hadn't seen the light of day since the 80s and wobbling their way down the frozen canal.

"It's not every day you can skate past the 'Skipton Boat Trips' sign without having to pay a tenner!" one resident was heard shouting, while trying to perform a spin that looked more like a controlled fall. "It's a bit bumpy, mind. Have to dodge the odd submerged traffic cone." Naturally, the fun-sponges at the Canal & River Trust have issued a stern warning, reminding everyone that skating on canals is "extremely dangerous" and "strongly advised against." This advice was, of course, met with a collective shrug by anyone already halfway across the ice, who probably figured it was all part of the adventure.

As the big freeze continues, who knows? Maybe it'll become an annual tradition. For now, it's a wonderfully frosty spectacle, a perfect testament to the fact that when life gives you frozen water, Brits will find a way to wobble on it.