Shropshire weather: First snow of 2017 for county - pictures

A light coating covered roads and footpaths as the day got off to a cold and icy start.

Shropshire and Telford councils had gritters out first thing. A tree was reported to have come down in Ryton, near Bridgnorth, and roadworks at Telford's Shawbirch island were today suspended until Monday because of the poor weather.

There were no reports of school closures.

The Environment Agency's Dave Throup tweeted:

Emergency services were warning drivers to take extra care:

At about 10pm on Thursday Market Drayton firefighters tweeted:

The Met Office said Shropshire would see a mixture of sunny spells and further wintry showers during the day. It will feel bitterly cold with a brisk northwesterly wind and a maximum temperature of 3C.

Tonight there will be further wintry showers in places, possibly giving slight accumulations, particularly over the hills, but also in some low levels. Otherwise, the day is ecpected to be dry and clear, with widespread frost and ice and a minimum overnight temperature of -4C.

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Shropshire snow pictures on Twitter:

Nationally, Scotland and the North of England were covered in a blanket of snow while the east coast was braced for a storm surge at Friday lunchtime.

The number of areas where flooding poses a threat to life was increased to 12 as emergency services prepared to evacuate residents from their homes.

The Environment Agency upped its warning as thousands of residents of Jaywick, Essex, braced for evacuation from predicted flooding from high winds and heavy rain.

Useful links:

Shropshire Council:

• Shropshire Council school closures page

• Shropshire Council's Twitter feed @ShropCouncil

• Shropshire Council's helpline for parents - 01743 252980 - this is only active during mornings with heavy snow

Telford & Wrekin Council:

• Telford & Wrekin Council school closures page

• Telford & Wrekin Council's Twitter feed @TelfordWrekin

• Telford & Wrekin's helpline - 01952 380100

Powys County Council:

• Powys County Council school closures page

• Powys County Council's Twitter feed @powyscc