Thames Valley Police said today they had received thousands of calls following the severe weather.

On Monday, the Control Rooms and Enquiry Department (CR&ED), received more than 8,000 calls, which is an increase of 107 per cent compared to the previous Monday.

Police said this represented a huge increase, as on an average day CR&ED would receive between 3,500 and 4,000 calls.

These additional calls included such matters as reports of abandoned or broken down vehicles, obstructions, black ice, dangerous driving, and minor disturbances, such as snowballs being thrown, in addition to all the ‘business as usual’ calls.

Of these calls, 1,059 were traffic-related, whereas the previous Monday saw just 269 traffic-related calls. There was also a 90 per cent increase in calls about abandoned and broken down vehicles.

Carrie Anderson, Information and Communication Officer for the Control Rooms and Enquiries Department, said: “Though we are taking an unusually high volume of calls, we still have the capacity to deal with them all.

“I’d like to remind the public that if the call is not urgent, they need to contact Thames Valley Police on the non-emergency number; 0845 8 505 505.”

“If however the call is urgent, a crime is being committed or there is a threat to life or property, then please dial 999.”