Devon drivers warned of ice as temperatures plummet

Drivers have been warned about ice on roads as temperatures plummeted across Devon.

There was a Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice in parts of Devon until 11:00 GMT.

Thirty schools in the Devon County Council area are closed or partially closed today because of the bad weather.

Plymouth Citybus warned about delays on a number of routes due to icy conditions on roads.

South Hams District Council warned about temperatures as low as -4C and Devon County Council tweeted: "Temperatures remain below freezing."

Arctic air has given some very low overnight temperatures across Devon and Cornwall recently, and with low sun some road temperatures have not gone above freezing all day over the weekend.

Added to this, late afternoon and evening showers on Saturday night and Sunday morning fell as rain and sleet on frozen ground creating black ice on roads and pavements without treatment.

Black ice is clear ice and is often difficult to see or detect since it is often the same colour as the road.

Last night's temperatures were between -4C and -7C and we will have the same problem tonight with ice.

Luckily, few if any showers are in the forecast for Monday but the threat of sleet and snow is possible later on Tuesday and early on Wednesday.

All the schools in Plymouth and Torbay are reported to be open.

But South Devon College's Vantage Point campus is partially closed with a temporary move to online learning this afternoon because of a loss in heating which is also affecting gas supplies for catering and hot water.

Police in Newton Abbot warned: "Please take care, even on treated roads and especially on untreated roads. Allow more time for journeys."

Andy Cole, manager of the Devon County Council Networks Control Centre in Exeter, told BBC Radio Devon: "There are 8,000 miles of road in Devon so it would be impossible to grit all the roads and we have gritted abut 20% of the roads which benefits about 80% of the population."

Big-hearted Martin Swann helped out drivers around Brentor on Dartmoor by spreading some grit.

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