FREEZING fog is expected to grip the county as winter begins to bite in Worcestershire.

Drivers have been urged to take extra care on roads with temperatures plunging to below freezing overnight last night and into today.

Worcestershire is expected to face even colder temperatures tomorrow morning with fog between midnight and 9am.

The Met Office warned there was a 90 per cent chance of severe cold weather across Worcestershire until Thursday and warned that freezing fog patches may develop overnight and persist in some places during the today and tomorrow.

Gritters were out on primary and secondary routes last night from 6pm.

Leaders from Worcestershire County Council understood the mercury was set to plunge to -6C in parts of the county last night and this morning.

The council, which is responsible for gritting, urged motorists to drive with caution and not to assume it is safe to travel at normal speeds, even if they believe roads have been treated with grit.

Advice includes putting anti-freeze in the car’s cooling system, screen wash additive in windscreen washers and making sure that tyres have at least 1.6mm depth of tread and the correct air pressures.

Other advice includes cleaning headlight lenses and making sure heaters and demisters are working properly, checking the local weather forecast and taking extra kit such as a mobile phone, spade, towrope, torch, flask, warm and highly visible clothing and spare pieces of old carpet to place under your wheels for traction in case you get stuck in snow.