The UK week in pictures: snowfall, Colston statue verdict, and Omicron surge continues

'The National' selects the most striking pictures from across the UK over the past week

On Monday Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited a Covid-19 vaccination hub at Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, north-west of London. The following day the UK reported a record 218,000 new coronavirus cases. AFP

The 'Princess Seaways' ferry sails along the horizon as the sun rises at Tynemouth on Monday morning. PA

Tuesday saw the the annual stock take at ZSL London Zoo. A zoo keeper counts Humboldt penguins. PA

Flooding on Tuesday saw the A1101 road surrounded by water in Welney. Unseasonably warm weather over the festive break was replaced by rain and freezing temperatures. Getty Images

Runners and riders in action on Tuesday afternoon in the Handicap Chase at Hereford Racecourse. PA

A new 'Nightingale' hub was set up in the grounds of St Georges Hospital on Wednesday in London. NHS Nightingale Surge Hubs are being set up in eight English hospitals in preparation for a possible increase in patient admissions due to the Omicron variant. Getty Images

A skier was pictured jumping on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines in Northumberland on Wednesday. PA

On Wednesday the 'Glade of Light' memorial to the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack was opened to the public in Manchester. Reuters

A couple take photographs alongside the National Monument on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, on Wednesday. PA

Sage Willoughby, Jake Skuse, Milo Ponsford and Rhian Graham celebrate after receiving a not guilty verdict at Bristol Crown Court on Wednesday. The four protesters were found not-guilty of criminal damage after the statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston was pulled down and thrown into Bristol Harbour on June 7, 2020. Getty Images

A snow plough and gritting vehicle driving along the snow-lined Buttertubs Pass near Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales on Thursday. After a warm start to the year the UK experienced snowfall across parts of Scotland and the north of England. PA

An aerial view of St Thomas Becket church during morning frost in Fairfield on Thursday morning, following freezing overnight temperatures. PA

A jogger runs through a frost-covered landscape in Wanstead Park in north-east London on Thursday, after a night of low temperatures in the capital. AP

A digital sign displays current waiting times outside Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Thursday. By the New Year, nearly one in 10 NHS staff were off work. with 50,000 at home either sick or self-isolating with Covid-19. Getty Images

On Thursday Boris Johnson visited a vaccine centre in Northampton. Mr Johnson said this week that ministers hoped to 'ride out' the latest wave without the need for further restrictions in England. Getty Images

A visitor views the 12,000 tennis balls comprising 'Mayfair Tennis Ball Exchange' by artist David Shrigley at the Stephen Friedman Gallery in London on Thursday. Visitors are invited to bring in an old tennis ball to swap with one of the new ones, creating a gradually evolving artwork. PA

Members of the congregation listen during a service of the Nativity of Christ Liturgy at the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Holy Prince Lazar in Birmingham, on Friday. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas according to the Julian calendar, with Christmas Day falling on January 7. AFP

This week, after a warm start to the year, the UK experienced snowfalls across parts of Scotland and the north of England, the “Colston Four” were cleared of criminal damage for pulling down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston during a Black Lives Matter protest in Bristol, and the UK Covid-19 case record was broken as the daily total reached 218,000 on Tuesday.