THIS amazing image shows rare ice pancakes on the River Tyne at Hexham.

Paul Sundin was paddling along the River Tyne on Friday, December 9 when he spotted the incredible sight.

Ice pancakes are a phenomenon where discs of ice anywhere from 20 - 200 cm wide are formed creating a unique spectacle.

According to the Met Office, ice pancakes are a relatively rare phenomenon that tend to occur in very cold oceans and lakes.

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They are most frequently seen in the Baltic Sea and around Antarctica but also form relatively frequently on the Great Lakes of the United States and Canada.

They are believed to form on rivers in cold conditions when foam on a river is sucked into an eddy (a swirling current of water), forming a circular shape as a result, the Met Office said.

As other bits of frozen foam and ice hit the forming disc they freeze to it and increase its size.