A 'POLAR vortex' could be on the way as temperatures in Oxfordshire plummeted to below freezing and the first gritters were sent out on the roads.

Monday night saw the county's coldest so far this autumn, -6.1C at Benson, with temperatures barely above 5C during yesterday.

All 28 of Oxfordshire County Council's gritters were deployed to cover the county's roads with salt ahead of the cold snap, which duty officer Steve Bulley (pictured) said had come earlier than expected.

Oxford Mail:

He said: "It's a waiting game. We thought it might be the middle of the month but it was a surprise.

"Abingdon was congested with the A34 closed and it was a bit of a nightmare. It's going to be a cold one this winter. It has been chilly at night and unpredictable, and towards the end of September all of a sudden the summer just disappeared."

The council's winter operation is now in full flow with gritters available to use through to the end of March, and beyond, depending on forecasts.

It is responsible for clearing all roads in Oxfordshire except for the A34, A43 and M40, which are gritted by Highways England.

Some 10,000 tonnes of salt is in stock for the season and in the case of snowfall gritters can be fitted quickly with snowploughs.

County council highways manager Paul Wilson said: "Clearly there are some forecasts this year that seem to indicate it’ll be a colder than average winter.

While Wednesday could be marginally warmer at 7C it is still about ten degrees colder than this time last year as Oxfordshire geared up for storms.

The Met Office has launched a campaign urging households to take extra precautions ahead of the cold snap, with a wealth of tips to stay safe and well online.

NHS England has also launched its Stay Well at Winter campaign.