With the UK still gripped by freezing conditions, residents in Tiverton in south-west England were treated to the rare sight of pancake ice on the River Exe on Friday 16 December.

Ice pancakes are round pieces of floating ice that can form in different ways.

One typical process is when foam on the surface of a body of water, freezes.

The distinctive round shape is the result of the ice pancakes bumping into each other as they float, therefore chipping away at corners and leaving them with a round shape.

They are more commonly found in the Arctic than the UK.

Pancake ice is a form of sea ice that consists of round pieces of ice with diameters ranging from 30 centimetres (12 in) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) and thicknesses up to 10 centimetres (3.9 inches), depending on the local conditions. It forms as a result of wave action on slush or ice rind.

Credit to: @escana143