HEAVY snow covered the region today (Thursday, January 29) causing treacherous driving conditions, bringing some areas to a standstill.

Seven schools were forced to close and several roads, especially rural roads, were closed for several hours.

Fire crews were called to a trapped lorry in Hunwick, near Crook, which had rolled backwards down a hill and caught fire.

The fruit and vegetable truck slid from the top of Bracken Hill Road to the bottom before getting stuck in a hedge.

As the driver tried to get back up the hill, the back tyres caught fire, which spread to the rest of the vehicle.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and the driver is thought to have escaped without any injuries.

The A66 across the Pennines was closed for several hours after heavy snowfalls caused several HGVs to become stuck.

The Highways Agency said the trucks lost traction on the stretch over Stainmore, between Bowes and Brough. A separate accident near Bowes closed the eastbound carriageway but the road quickly reopened.

Elsewhere in the region, Cleveland Police reported a series of minor collisions caused by people failing to drive to the conditions.

The A68 in Carterway Heads, near Edmundbyers, was closed eastbound between the B6278 junction and the Pemberton Road junction, after a two vehicle accident. Six other vehicles also became stuck on the snow-bound road.

At Durham Tees Valley Airport a runway was closed and a plane had to be diverted to Newcastle Airport.

Weathermen say the public should be prepared for more travel disruption and hazardous driving conditions tomorrow (Friday).

Temperatures across the UK are set to plunge to 2C with a wind-chill factor making it much colder, with severe weather warnings in place across the North.

Forecasters are predicting an 80 per cent chance of severe cold and heavy snow, which is likely to cause chaos on the roads.