Gritter among victims of icy roads as police warn Lancaster and Morecambe motorists to take extra care

Emergency services have attended a number of collisions this morning, and rush hour traffic was queuing along Morecambe Road into Lancaster.

A gritter lorry has also skidded off the road into a hedge near Caton.

Motorists also reported "horrendous" conditions on the Bay Gateway and M6 slip roads overnight and early this morning.

One said: "At 4am this morning the Bay Gateway towards motorway was horrendous. Skidded a few times going down the hill, once on M6 third lane was too icy to use."

And another said: "I went on the M6 is was disgraceful to be fair, the slip road at Galgate to get on the M6 was nearly undriveable it was that slippery."

"Please take extra care when travelling today as there is still a lot of black ice on the roads," a police spokesman said.

Meanwhile, a gritter lorry crashed through a hedge near Caton.

Resident Terry Smith posted a warning to residents on Facebook, saying: "Take care if you are travelling between Caton and Lancaster on the Quernmore Road near Gresgarth Gardens and Deys Barn as there is a gritter gone through the hedge with its tail sticking out in the road."

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "Fortunately the driver of the gritter which slid off Quernmore Road last night is unhurt.

"The road conditions were difficult due to new snow which had fallen, and the vehicle was spreading grit at around 4am last night behind another vehicle which was ploughing. We're arranging to recover the gritter today.

"Our highways teams have been very busy over recent days working to keep the main routes moving during what have been very changeable conditions. Our gritter drivers in the north of the county carried out a number of treatments throughout last night, beginning at 6pm ahead of the wintry showers forecast.

"The salt we use to treat the roads works by lowering the freezing temperature of any moisture on the road, and relies on the action of traffic to mix it into any ice present, which means that roads can remain icy even after being gritted. Our priority gritting routes cover around one third of all our roads, but any untreated surfaces may be very icy.

"Particularly with the very changeable weather we've had over recent days, it's really important that people drive according to the conditions and, if the weather is poor, consider whether they can safely make their journey before setting out."