Road users urged to stay home to avoid lethal black ice in ‘big refreeze’

Drivers have been warned to stay home as the aftermath of recent snowy weather produces lethal black ice in a “big refreeze.”

The Met Office warned that parts of the UK are still beset by snow and ice on Tuesday after the forecaster provisionally recorded the coldest night and day of the year on Monday.

Braemer, in Aberdeenshire, was the coldest place in the UK, recording a low of -15.7C and a high of -9.3C, the lowest minimum temperature since February 2021 and the lowest maximum in 12 years.

The forecaster has issued a yellow snow and ice warning covering northern Scotland and north-east England from midnight on Tuesday until noon on Thursday.

There is also an ice warning covering much of the south east, including London and Brighton until 11am on Tuesday.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said there will be heavy snow in some places again on Tuesday.

“Coming into force at midnight tonight all the way through to lunchtime on Thursday, (there is a) large snow and ice warning covering the North East of England, the whole sort of northern portion of Scotland, as well as the Highlands and islands,” he said.

Rod Dennis from the RAC said their teams were “exceptionally busy” on Monday, helping more than 7,500 motorists with breakdowns. He added that this was 50 per cent more than what they would see on a typical Monday in December.

Edmund King, president of the AA, said ice can be more dangerous than snow, because people can see snow and slow down accordingly.

“Often, when you've had snow, it melts a bit, then it freezes overnight. Then the next morning you cannot see the ice. It's black ice or you just can't see it,” he said.

“It is really the kind of silent killer.”

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Simon Williams, spokesman for RAC Breakdown, said “treacherous” conditions are expected on the roads “following a big refreeze overnight”.

He urged drivers in rural areas to “delay or even abandon their plans” to avoid the dangerous conditions.

He added: “Everyone should make sure they are fully prepared just in case they find themselves broken down at the side of the road - warm waterproof jackets, sturdy footwear, a flask of hot drink and power bank to keep their phones charged are very important.”

National Highways said it had up to 25 gritters treating the M25 at any one time, with 960 tonnes of salt and more than 18,000 litres of antifreeze spread.

South East Coast Ambulance Service tweeted on Monday: “Please take extra care on the roads tonight and in the morning. As more ice forms, we're likely to see a number of avoidable road traffic collision.”

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Drivers on northern sections of the M25 were stranded for several hours on Monday as traffic was at a standstill.

The AA said it had seen a 25 per cent increase in breakdowns and slower travel conditions which took recovery drivers longer to attend in some cases.

The Met Office said northern Scotland could record even colder temperatures on Tuesday after breaking the record for the coldest night of the year on Monday.

“In terms of temperature, we could see another very cold night, especially in parts of Scotland where we’ve got that lying snow,” he said.

“We saw minus 15C last night. We could see similar or potentially even colder tonight under clear skies with that snowfall lying in some places.

“So a very cold night there but also broadly very cold across the whole of the UK, with widespread freezing conditions.”