East Yorkshire is bracing itself for a cold snap, as temperatures are set to plummet to freezing this week. Hull City Council will be using new equipment, including a fleet of high-tech road sweepers, to keep roads and footpaths clear.
Richard Townend, safety transport and hub manager for the council, said: "While we are unable to predict the severity of what we face in the coming months, we believe that we are fully prepared. We have 5,000 tonnes of salt in stock ready to treat the cities roads and footpaths. The safety of drivers, pedestrians, visitors and residents is a top priority for us, and we have a team on standby to work 24/7 to keep the city on the move."
Tuesday evening looks set to be the coldest point of the week. The Met Office forecasts a temperature of 0C, but with wind chill factored in, it could feel as cold as -4C. Temperatures will rise later in the week, but gusts of more than 30mph will keep it feeling like it is only one or two degrees above freezing.
The cold weather is being brought in by north-westerly winds swooping in off the Arctic. The average temperature for the country over the next two weeks is expected to be up to to three degrees colder than last year.
A Meteogroup forecaster said: "It does look like much of the UK is in for a cold spell through next week. For at least a week, there will be cold north-westerly winds.
"Temperatures through next week will be much lower than recently and generally below the November average. It will struggle to get up to four or five degrees and during the nights temperatures will be below zero quite widely, meaning frost across most places."
• Weather news and forecast for Hull and East Yorkshire
