Motorists faced a slow treacherous journey to work today (Thursday) as blizzard conditions and sheet ice brought chaos to roads across Essex.

Essex Police issued an early morning warning to drivers setting out for work as the big freeze and the first snow of the winter brought a spate of accidents within half an hour of 6am.

A police spokesman said: "Many roads in Essex are covered in sheet ice and within 30 minutes of 6am there were several serious accidents, with major trunk roads blocked or slow moving due to multiple road traffic collisions."

Among the 'hot spots' this morning (Thursday) were the Braintree bypass, which was badly affected by black ice, and the A12 London-bound at Margaretting, where there was a multiple vehicle collision.

Jean Upton, spokeswoman for Essex County Council highways department, said the snow had been predicted in advance.

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