Black ice affects Mid Wales and Herefordshire roads and pavements as the area awaits Storm Goretti

Overnight rain and freezing temperatures turned many surfaces to ice.

There were numerous prangs and many people took to social media to warn others of slippery roads and pavements in Presteigne, Knighton, Kington and Llandrindod Wells.

Lady Hawkins High School in Kington confirmed that it would be closed due to ice and no school

In a message on social media they said “Following a site inspection school is now closed all day. 

“Apologies, but student and staff safety must come first.”

No schools were listed on Powys County Council’s website as closed on Wednesday.

The wintery weather continued to cause difficulties as the area braced itself for potentially heavy snow on Thursday night, due to Storm Goretti. 

The first named storm of the year is part of a new amber snow alert issued for the whole of Powys and the Midlands and surrounding areas 

. This alert is in place from 20:00 on Thursday, until 09:00 on Friday.

The whole of Powys as well as Hereford, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Birmingham are all covered by this one

"In some areas, 5-10 cm of snow may settle - with the potential for up to 20 cm in some locations," say forecasters.

Up to 20 counties in Wales are expected to be affected by the latest weather warning, with travel disruption and school closures likely to continue.

Powys County Council said depending on detailed forecast and data from temperature sensors, the decisions are made to plough and grit the roads of Powys as necessary, with crews making up to three scheduled runs a day and remaining on a standby rota 24/7 to retreat as required. 

The fleet of gritters cover over 1,400km each time they grit the county’s primary routes. 

In between gritting roads, crews treat footways within town centres, outside schools, care homes, medical centres, etc. 

The council is also focusing on restocking our reserves of grit and replenishing salt bins across the county as quickly as possible.

“Our highways crews are working around the clock in all conditions to treat and clear the county’s main roads as well as gritting paths in our town centres and outside vital amenities like schools and medical facilities,” said Councillor Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.

“As well as our fleet of gritters treating the main routes, there are nearly 3,300 salt bins located across the county to help communities treat local roads and pavements. These bins are placed where gritters can’t reach - steep hills, narrow access, rural spots, shared spaces, etc. You can check the salt bin locations and request any refills online.

“Whilst weather conditions remain cold, please take care when outside and allow extra time for journeys and take note of any advice given by the Met Office, police or the council.”

Please note that members of the public cannot collect salt directly from depots. You can find your nearest salt bin, and let us know if it needs refilling, here: www.powys.gov.uk/saltbins

Find out more out how the council treats roads during the winter here: https://en.powys.gov.uk/gritting 

During period of extreme weather, the council will often provide quick updates to the public via social media. To stay up to date, you can follow our Facebook pages at Powys County Council - https://www.facebook.com/powyscc/  Cyngor Sir Powys - https://www.facebook.com/cspowys/ and Powys County Council Highways, Transport and Recycling - https://www.facebook.com/PowysHighwaysTransportRecycling/