Snow falls in Sussex amid warnings of travel disruption

The South East has begun to see snowfalls ahead of Christmas.

Motorists are reporting treacherous driving conditions on the A23 southbound heading to Brighton, and A27 eastbound towards Lewes.

Gritters are heading out onto the roads to make the roads safer for motorists with National Highways urging drivers to take care during the poor weather.

Snow was seen falling across Sussex including in the village of Kingston near Lewes and in Crowborough.

Southeastern Railway has warned of possible disruption to services on Monday.

It said that because of the current wintry conditions, and with more snow forecast overnight, there is a risk of disruption to Southeastern train services particularly early in the morning. 

The first trains in each direction on many routes are likely to be cancelled while Network Rail checks that the rails are clear of snow and ice, which can prevent trains from drawing power from the electric rail.

Southeastern strongly recommends passengers check before they travel and if possible, travel a little later.

They are advised to visit the Southeastern website, National Rail Enquiries or Twitter @Se_Railway for updates.

Journey planners will be updated with details of any cancellations as soon as they’re confirmed.

ITV Meridian Weather Presenter Philippa Drew said: "Arctic air will continue to seep southwards over the coming days and the cold conditions are expected to last well into next week.

"With an increasing chance of showers we could see some snow, particularly over higher ground and this could lead to disruption with local accumulations and icy surfaces."

Temperatures in Benson in Oxfordshire dropped to -8.2 degrees on Wednesday night - the coldest night of the season so far, and one of the coldest areas of the UK.

How cold does it need to be for it to snow?

According to the Met Office, snow falls when the air temperature is below 2°C, expelling the myth that is needs to be below zero to snow.

Its website explains the falling snow does begin to melt as soon as the temperature rises above freezing.

If the temperature is warmer than 2°C then the snowflake will melt and fall as sleet rather than snow.