GRITTERS will be out on the county roads tonight as the temperature is set to fall below freezing. 

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said: "Rain is expected at times this afternoon - any heavier bursts of rain could turn to sleet/wet snow for a time but not bringing any accumulations.

"Turning dry and cold tonight with road temperatures falling below zero - we're gritting from 6:30pm. Please take care on the roads."

John Griffiths, a Met Office forecaster, dismissed any link to the widely reported “Beast from the East 2”, simply saying the conditions are “normal” for the winter weather cycle.

He said: “On Thursday a band of rain, sleet and snow will hit parts of Scotland and northern England, which will slowly extend south to the Midlands as the day progresses.

“It is expected to be very cold in these areas, dropping below 0C (32F) in Scotland and parts of northern England.

“This will start to gradually ease and die out during the evening, with frost and freezing fog coming in.”

Mr Griffiths said Friday will “start cold and foggy”, with most areas becoming dry and bright over the rest of the day.

He said a yellow weather warning is also in place on Saturday, which could see heavy snow across parts of Scotland to central parts of England.