Worcestershire County Council's highways fleet will be gritting the precautionary and other key routes across the county this evening.

The Met Office is predicting road surface temperatures as low as -10C tonight with snow showers this afternoon expected to ease and clear by midnight.

Gritting is currently taking place having started at 1.30pm. Gritters have ploughs attached where needed. Conditions will be monitored through the night and teams will remain on standby following the completion of the gritting.

We are currently refilling grit bins across the county, and we ask residents only to use this grit on the roads and pavements, not on their own driveways.

Roads will be very cold tonight with possible accumulations of snow of 1-3cm, the advice remains that motorists should not assume roads have been gritted and to temper their driving accordingly.

Residents are again being pointed in the direction of the council's website, www.worcestershire.gov.uk, or its 'gritter twitter' page, www.twitter.com/worcscc, for regular weather and gritting updates.

The council is warning residents to take care on side roads and residential areas, which are not on the main gritting routes, as they could be particularly difficult to negotiate.

Elderly residents and the more vulnerable members of communities are likely to struggle the most in the conditions and so residents are still being asked to pull together, especially with the prospect of more snow.

Parents are as usual asked to tune in to their local radio or visit the council website, www.worcestershire.gov.uk, where regular updates on school closures will be posted.

Members of the public can also contact the Worcestershire Hub on 0845 607 2005 for highways enquires or 01905 765765 for more general enquiries. Residents can call the Hub Monday to Friday 8am – 8pm and Saturday 9am – 5pm to can get further information on road closures, gritting, school closures and other affected services.

Drivers who have to make journeys in the morning are asked to heed the following advice: Maintenance checks Before you set off on your journey, do you have: • Anti-freeze in your cooling system?

• Screen wash additive in your windscreen washers?

• At least 1.6mm depth of tread and the correct air pressures in your tyres?

• Clean lenses on your headlights?

• Properly working heaters and demisters?

Making journeys Planning your journey is vitally important in adverse conditions. Taking the following steps before you leave could prevent problems out on the roads: • Ask yourself if your journey is necessary - if the answer is no, or not sure, then don’t go!

• Check the local weather forecast.

• Check the driving conditions on your route with your local radio station • Take extra equipment with you, eg. mobile phone, spade, towrope, torch, flask, warm and highly visible clothing and spare pieces of old carpet to place under your wheels for traction in case you get stuck in snow • Make sure someone at your destination is expecting you at a certain time.

Adjust your driving to the conditions Driving on ice or snow needs extra care: • Use dipped headlights and drive more slowly than usual • Allow up to ten times your normal stopping distance • Keep your distance from vehicles ahead of you • To avoid skidding, brake very gently or ease off the accelerator early • If you have to abandon your vehicle try not to block the road; snow-ploughs, gritters and emergency vehicles may need to come past.

* Keep windscreens clean.