Police urge motorists to take extra care this morning due to icy conditions and overnight snow

Drivers in Flintshire are being urged to take extra caution on the roads this morning as poor conditions caused by ice and snow have led to several reports of traffic collisions.

The warning comes following heavy snowfall overnight in parts of the county has seen roads becoming increasingly treacherous for drivers.

Update 9.35am: Time for some pictures from around the area.

A snowy and cold morning in Hawarden @DeesideDotCom @DerekTheWeather @northdotwales pic.twitter.com/b71V8JzDhO

— Mrs H.P (@HayboM) January 17, 2023

😍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

No snow day for me but what a beautiful site before work 🍀 #snow #flintshire #NorthWales #Wales #Cymru #edutwitter pic.twitter.com/4bklO7bFg2

— Kate S (@k8KES8) January 17, 2023

Lovely winter snow day here in Flint. ❄️ @DeesideDotCom @DerekTheWeather pic.twitter.com/dBIUHU0HBm

— Cllr Norma Davies (@norma_davies) January 17, 2023

@DeesideDotCom it’s a lovely snowy morning in Hawarden pic.twitter.com/eYsSyQ1ZzY

— Joanne wooding (@wooding_joanne) January 17, 2023

Update 8.15am: There are currently eight miles of stationery traffic stretching from the A494 Aston Hill to the A55 Flint turn-off, travel time between those two points is quoted at around 30 minutes.

Update 8.02am: Flintshire Council’s school closure web page appears to have crashed.

Update 8.00am: Heavy traffic is now reported on the A55 heading towards the A494 Aston Hill as snow begins to fall again.

A collision has blocked one lane of the westbound A55 at Dobshill.

Incident alert #A55 ⚠️

Collision travelling on the #A55 Westbound between J35 Dobs Hill to J36 Broughton. Lane one is currently closed.

Emergency services are on scene.

More updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/hnbykDCzVK

— Traffic Wales North & Mid (@TrafficWalesN) January 17, 2023

A traffic report for the area stets: “Queueing traffic due to snow on A55 North Wales Expressway Eastbound at J34 A494 (Ewloe). Cameras show difficult driving conditions and traffic slowing moving up the hill.”

Update 7.50am: A growing list of schools in Flintshire will be closed today due to the weather conditions.

Keep up today with school closures here: https://www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/Resident/Schools/SchoolClosures.aspx

Earlier report: The A548 in Flint was closed for this morning following an accident but the latest travel report for the area states it has since reopened.

There are also reports of a collision on the A5104 Corwen Road near Leeswood.

Vehicles appear to be moving freely on the A494 and A55 through Flintshire however there are reports that local roads in town and villages across the county ​‌‌‌​‌are hazardous and in many cases covered in snow.

Buckley was the same, this was 8pm ish. Main road by the ambulance station and along to the new Greggs/Costa garage at Dobshill were awful. Not sure if it caught the gritters by surprise. pic.twitter.com/WiB5nr0Wkx

— nick bell (@jn13ell) January 16, 2023

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert for Ice and Snow covering most of northern Wales including Flintshire, Wrexham as well as the North West of England is in place until 12pm on Tuesday. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌According to the Met Office, accumulations of snow of a couple of centimetres are possible at low levels, with higher ground expected to see 5-10 cm in places. ‌

​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

In addition, icy stretches are likely to form following showers. ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​ ‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌​

Becky Guy, Road Safety Manager at Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said:

“These wintry conditions can decrease visibility, increase stopping distances and the risk of skidding, which can all increase the risk of being involved in a crash.”

“If you can, avoid driving in such weather, and if you are expected to drive for work, do ask your employer about whether it has a winter driving policy.”

⚠️Poor driving conditions in the North-East of Wales.

Be informed – check the latest traffic and weather before you go.

When the weather is extreme, ask yourself: Do I really need to travel now, or can my journey wait until the weather improves? #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/qkcxw57jNv

— Traffic Wales North & Mid (@TrafficWalesN) January 17, 2023

“Things to check before you set off include that all of your lights are working and clean, your tyres are inflated correctly and have at least 3mm of tread, you have enough fuel or charge in the car for unforeseen events and a way of contacting someone in an emergency. Finally, if in doubt and you are able to, postpone your trip until conditions improve.”

Keeping safe in sleet, hail and snow

To help keep drivers safe, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has shared its top winter driving tips to help keep drivers and riders safe.

Before your journey

• Plan your journey, checking the traffic news and allowing extra time
• If it has been snowing, be sure to remove snow from the top of your car so that it does not slide down and obstruct your view when driving
• Check fuel or charge levels before you set off to allow for unexpected delays
• If you drive an automatic car, check the handbook to see if there’s a winter driving mode setting
• Assess whether your journey is essential, and speak to your employer about whether they have a winter driving policy

Driving on winter roads

• Pull off in second gear, going gently on the clutch to avoid wheel-spin
• Leave plenty of room between you and other road users, applying your brakes gradually and in good time
• When driving uphill, check the road is clear and try to avoid stopping part way up to prevent you from rolling backwards
• When driving downhill, keep it slow and use a low gear
• Remember that braking distance can increase up to double in wet weather and by 10 times in icy weather