Snow and ice in Cambridgeshire

TEMPERATURES as low as -10 Celsius and snowfalls of up to 10cm have been forecast for the coming weekend.

The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for the East of England, starting this afternoon (Thursday) and lasting until Sunday evening.

Temperatures have continued to drop over recent days and driving conditions on untreated roads in the region are set to be hazardous, with some travel disruption to be expected.

The Met Office has confirmed that “a band of snow is moving into eastern England from the North Sea and is expected to give accumulations of approximately 2cm quite widely across the Eastern region” – and perhaps as much as 5cm in places.

The severe weather warning states: “Although timing is uncertain, the snow is likely to be most widespread and heaviest late on Friday evening. After midnight it will tend to die out.

“The snow will continue to move slowly eastwards across England during the first half of Sunday. This may be heavy initially but will tend to die out during Sunday morning. Total accumulations from this snow event are likely to be of order 5-10cm in many places; this includes low lying areas. The public are advised that this is likely to lead to some travel disruption, and should pay close attention to forecasts as the event approaches.”

SURVIVE THE SNOW

Avoid travelling when snow is forecast but if you have an unavoidable journey to make, be prepared:

• Take warm clothes, food, water, boots, a torch and spade with you.

• Let someone know when you expect to arrive and your route.

• Try to wait until the roads have been gritted before travelling.

• Slow down — it can take 10 times longer to stop in snowy or icy conditions, so allow extra room.

• Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin.

• Manoeuvre gently and avoid harsh braking and acceleration; if you start to skid, gently ease off the accelerator and avoid braking. If braking is necessary, pump the brakes don’t slam them on.

• If you get stuck, stay with your car and tie something brightly coloured to your aerial.