Commuters are prepared for an ‘ice rink Monday’ this morning after the Met Office issued weather warnings for large swaths of the UK and cautioned vehicles of snow refreezing in certain parts overnight, potentially producing hazardous road conditions.
The UK has been hit by arctic weather, with the coldest temperatures since last winter recorded over the weekend, with reports claiming up to 30cm of snow fell in certain locations.
Monday’s rush hour could resemble the dramatic scenes seen around the country over the weekend, with drivers forced to get out and push their cars or leave them entirely on snow-covered highways.
The Met Office issued yellow ice warnings for parts of the north of England from 5 p.m. on Sunday to midday on Monday.
Separate yellow alerts are in effect for snow in upper sections of Wales and the Peak District, as well as snow and ice in eastern Scotland, until noon today.
The Met Office said that 2-5cm of snow might fall ‘on certain routes above around 150m, and perhaps 10-15cm on highways above around 350m’ in Wales and the Peak District.
Responding to the Met Office’s weather alerts, Cumbria Police Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said: ‘We are asking people to only travel if necessary.
‘Similarly, we are asking people not to visit the county today if your journey is not necessary in order to keep people safe on our roads.’
The force urged people to only travel ‘if necessary’ last night and to take extra care during Monday morning’s rush hour.
‘The icy conditions will be here tomorrow morning, so please if you are travelling do so with extreme care and attention,’ they said late on Sunday.
‘Drive to the conditions of the road and allow extra time for any journey you make.’