GRITTERS will be out and about on the roads of East Sussex again today (Monday, January 18) as temperatures threaten to plummet to minus six degrees.

Commuters are being warned to take extra care, with temperatures starting to plummet at around 5pm, when today’s rush hour begins, and not expected to climb above zero until 9.30am tomorrow.

An icy spell last week saw a spate of incidents across the county where vehicles ended up leaving the road, crashing or even overturning.

East Sussex County Council’s fleet of gritters will be out treating primary routes from 2pm this afternoon and again from 4am tomorrow.

Roger Williams, East Sussex County Council head of highways, said: “We’re really now starting to see winter take hold, and it’s more important than ever that drivers take care.

“The cold will begin to bite today during the evening rush hour, and temperatures will remain below freezing as people return to work tomorrow.

“While our gritters will be out and about, we can’t grit every road and black ice is not always visible, so I’d strongly urge people to make sure they get home safely by slowing down and driving to the conditions.”

Information about gritting in East Sussex is available online at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/gritting while any problems on the roads can be reported by contacting the highways contact centre on 0345 60 80 193 or via Twitter @esccroads