Lincolnshire County Council has issued an urgent plea to drivers
Drivers are being warned to only travel if necessary with conditions set to worsen(Image: Lincolnshire Live)
Drivers in Lincolnshire have been urged to only travel if necessary, with highways bosses warning that tonight’s weather will lead to “some of the worst driving conditions in years”.
The county has been hit with snow and freezing conditions to start 2026, but Lincolnshire County Council has now warned “a set of weather changes is about to form a unique set of challenges” and urged people not to travel on the evening of Tuesday, January 6.
A spokesperson said: “It will start with temperatures rising slightly as the day ends, this will then be followed by a series of rain and sleet showers that will not only wash away the essential salt already put down this afternoon, but will then soak the roads before the temperatures drop severely once more.”
The council said its gritting team was prepared for the weather but warned “only so much of what can be done overnight will be effective.”
Darrell Redford, network resilience manager at Lincolnshire County Council said: “We want to be very clear about this – the roads will be extremely slippery as a result of these weather patterns.
“We have our entire fleet out around the clock, and we have 22,500 tonnes of specially-treated salt to put on the roads.
“Our entire team is doing every single thing that we can, and we will continue to work through the day and night, as we have since the cold weather arrived.
“But we can’t be everywhere on our 5,500-mile-long road network. We are using the very latest equipment and technology to get the most salt down where it will benefit the most road users, and this is the best strategy.
“However, in extremes such as this, we want to get the word out to everyone about being extra vigilant.
“In terms of roads, these will be the worst weather conditions in years. The severity of what will happen to the salt we’re putting down with the warming up, the rain and then the severe re-freeze can’t be overstated.
“We will be salting after the rain, but this may still leave tricky conditions. Especially for roads off the salted network.
“Our advice is to only travel if you absolutely must. If you do have to travel, give yourself extra time to make the journey, and give other road users extra space and consideration as you go.
“Even with our around-the-clock and very extensive efforts for the county, tonight and into tomorrow will see treacherous road conditions remain for everyone.”