Gritters face 'tricky night' with snow warning

Devon's gritters are set for "another very tricky night" while Cornwall Council has warned motorists to allow extra time for journeys.

Andy Cole, network operations control centre manager for Devon County Council, said the forecast for road surface temperatures on Wednesday could be as low as -5C (23F).

It comes after the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across parts of Devon and Cornwall on Monday night until 10:00 GMT on Tuesday.

A second yellow weather warning for snow is due to start at 09:00 on Wednesday, ending at 23:59 and covering the majority of Devon and east Cornwall.

Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, Mr Cole said temperatures had not been quite as low as first forecast but warned it was only a "temporary respite".

"We have another very tricky night ahead of tomorrow's warning for snow," he said.

Discussing Monday night and Tuesday morning, Mr Cole added: "We've had a busy night.

"Our gritters have been out in most places - in fact, three times over the moors.

"We've seen some slushy conditions over Dartmoor but the rest of the county we're not seeing too many issues."

Cornwall Council has advised drivers to travel carefully and warned those who need to make journeys to allow plenty of extra time.

It comes after Devon and Cornwall Police reported nine collisions on the A30 in Cornwall and Devon on Monday, one involving eight cars.

A police spokesperson said the wintry conditions had "played a part" in a number of the incidents.

One collision saw a man suffer facial injuries near Camborne West Junction at 19:45 GMT.

It sparked a warning by the police to "only travel if absolutely necessary".

The force's spokesperson said: "We would appeal to motorists to check local weather forecasts before setting off and drive carefully, especially in adverse conditions.

"During periods covered by a weather warning we would advise motorists to only travel if absolutely necessary."

Dena Logan, who lives near Lydford, in Devon, said Monday's snow was "the worst we've had" in four years of living in the village.

She said: "We couldn't believe it. We came back home from Roborough way at about 15:00 or 16:00 and it was fine - it was spitting.

"The ground was so wet and I thought it wouldn't stick but by 17:15 it snowed huge snowflakes and it just settled.

"Before our eyes in about 20 minutes it was covered, really well covered.

"Even this morning there is about two inches of snow on the fields. It's a bit slushy but there is still snow on all the roads and driveways.

"The A386 is now moving but yesterday it was like a car park."

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