Gritters were out in Telford and Shropshire overnight as temperatures fell to near freezing point.

Telford & Wrekin Council said gritters were on the main roads at 10pm and again at 4am, while in Shropshire they were out last night and at 5am.

According the the Met Office, temperatures at RAF Shawbury fell to 0.7C (33.26F) overnight, and are not forecast to rise above 4C (39.2F) today.

The Met Office said severe weather warnings were in place, with icy patches likely on untreated roads in Wales and in northeast England.

However, although it will remain cold for the next couple of days, Shropshire is not forecast to see any snow.

It will be slightly warmer on Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures between 1C (33.8F) and 5C (41F), before milder weather returns of Thursday, with temperatures reaching 10C (50F).

Meanwhile, a lorry driver died today after his vehicle left a trunk road in severe wintry conditions. The incident on the A160 in north Lincolnshire happened as police across the north of England and Scotland warned motorists to take extra care due to sleet and snow.

Humberside Police said the white Scania lorry, which was fully loaded with meat, left the westbound carriageway of the road in South Killingholme at about 4.14am.

A spokeswoman said road conditions in the area were quite poor at the time due to cold weather and hailstones.

The driver has not been named but is believed to be from the north west of England. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Forecasters said Scotland is likely to bear the brunt of the bad weather today.

Andy Ratcliffe, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: “We will see more wintry showers with more snow over high ground in western areas.

“Northern England will see wintry showers but it will not be as badly affected as Scotland.”

Transport Scotland yesterday activated a full Multi-Agency Response Team involving all of its transport partners including rail, road and Strathclyde Police. Scotland’s Transport Minister Keith Brown was in the control centre last night and will be there today to view operations.