Shropshire was today bracing itself for the worst storm of the winter so far with a “white-out” predicted across the county.

Heavy snowfall, drifts and freezing temperatures were due to cause chaos across the county tonight at the start of another week of disruption, forecasters warned.

See our weather photo galleries here

It comes after Shropshire was one of the worst-hit areas during last week’s snow blizzards, forcing schools to close and leaving staff unable to get to work.  

John Warner, Shropshire Star weatherman, said temperatures dropped to between -1C and -2C (28F) overnight after more snow fell yesterday evening.

“We had some snow yesterday afternoon which stuck on higher grounds but thawed as it hit the ground in other areas of Shropshire. There was a couple more centimetres on the hills.”

He added: “It looks like we could get a white-out with heavy snow drifting over the hills with strong north east winds. It looks like it could be the worst of the winter so far. They are calling it a winter storm. 

“It might start off as rain but will turn to snow later this evening and overnight. The snow should soon clear in the morning.”

Mr Warner said some parts of the county could get earlier snow showers this afternoon.

But the rest of the week could see the worst hit areas of the UK start to recover from the snow. 

“The outlook for the rest of the week is for more cold weather but hardly any snow and hard frost at night,” he added.  

The winter storm was expected to put further pressure on council workers as salt stocks were low in some areas of the UK.

Shropshire County Council and Telford & Wrekin Council have still got salt left but have been forced to prioritise the coverage of A and B-roads. 

The Government has widened the search for salt while one council has started using table salt to grit its roads. Salt is heading to Britain from Spain and Germany as UK stocks dwindle.

Virgin Trains has cancelled some West Coast Main Line services today and tomorrow, while motoring groups said drivers needed to deal “more effectively” with the icy conditions.