Snow covers areas of County Durham as temperatures plummet

Temperatures dropped to as low as -1C in areas, as residents woke up to blankets of snow covering cars and fields. Higher areas of the region, including Consett and rural parts of County Durham, were hit by particularly heavy snow.

Durham County Council gritters were out last night, with the council confirming today they will be out again this evening.

National Highways offered advice to motorists on what they should do if they see a gritter.

It said: "Give them space - they're working to keep roads safe, pass only when safe and be patient - gritting may stop/slow junctions."

Children were pictured having snowball fights in Consett (Image: North News)

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice across the North East came into force at midnight and remains in place through to the end of Thursday (November 20).

Aerial shots showed how much snow has fallen in parts of the region, including in Consett, with pictures showing nearby Bradley Cottages was also hit with heavy snow overnight.

Overnight snow covers Consett (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA)

Also in Consett, children had snowball fights as residents cleared vehicles and drives.

Elsewhere, there was heavy snowfall at Blakey Ridge in the North Yorkshire Moors and in Durham it was hard to see the cathedral from the viaduct as the sky darkened this morning.

Blakey Ridge (Image: North Yorkshire Weather Updates)

There were also beautiful pictures of Durham City in the early morning snow.

The weather also caused delays on the A1(M) between Durham and Darlington this morning. Traffic was almost at a standstill in both directions as people navigated the conditions.

Durham Police urged motorists to drive carefully as commuters suffered delays on the region's roads.

Snow in Durham City this morning (Image: Krystal Tara/Northern Echo)

Writing on Facebook, the force said: "The roads are heavily congested, please go steady and do not take unnecessary journeys.

"If you do need to travel, please drive carefully and ensure your vehicle is road ready."

Although the cold snap remained for much of the day, the snow cleared. However, the same is expected for tomorrow.

Parts of the region will again be hit by snow, as temperatures could fall to -2C in some areas of County Durham.