CAR drivers have found the cold snap heavy going – and have been warned that there is worse to come.
The AA said it received around 400 callouts for help in the Portsmouth area yesterday, compared to 250 on an average Wednesday.
And with around 2in to 4in (5cm to 10cm) of snow forecast to fall in the region, motorists are being warned to drive safely.
Charlie Powell, spokesman for the Met Office, said: ‘There is a yellow warning in place for most of the UK tomorrow, due to rain coming in and hitting the cold air, which will turn it into snow.
‘In Portsmouth and around the coast, you may see a mixture of sleet and snow, and should see some bits settling.
‘People need to plan ahead and leave plenty of time if they are travelling.
‘They must assess the safety of their journey, and perhaps think about how necessary it is to make the journey.’
With the cold weather set to hit the south coast this weekend, the AA said it will do all it can to assist motorists.
Darron Burness, the AA’s head of special operations, said: ‘Winter’s really starting to bite now with widespread freezing conditions and the prospect of more snow at the end of the week.
‘Our patrols are working hard to get to people as soon as possible but the severe conditions may mean it takes a little longer.
‘We’re likely to see some pretty horrible driving conditions on Friday with drifting snow and potentially blizzard-like conditions across higher level routes in particular.’
Colas – which looks after the city’s roads on behalf of Portsmouth City Council – said it has been laying salt on main routes in Portsmouth since Saturday.
It has used 70 tonnes of grit on priority roads, including the M275, Eastern Road and London Road.
Meanwhile Uplands Primary School, in Morshead Crescent, Fareham, was forced to close yesterday.
Schoolchildren were sent home due to a heating failure overnight. It was due to be open today. No other schools in the area were closed.
Check websites for up-to-date travel information.
For more information, visit hants.gov.uk.
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