Heavy snowfall overnight has caused treacherous driving conditions on major roads in the Harrogate district this morning.

Many areas woke up to a blanket of snow and ice, causing severe problems, especially in rural areas.

The North Yorkshire Weather Updates social media page showed dire conditions in Boroughbridge, with heavy snow covering streets.

Video by Carly Gibson

The same page also reported large vehicles were struggling to get up the hill on the A59 at Kex Gill due to hazardous road conditions. However by 9am the road appeared to be clear.

North Yorkshire Police warned people to drive carefully due to conditions on the A61 between Ripon and Harrogate.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire County Council, which is the highways authority, on which days it had gritted the roads since Christmas Day and what its policy is on deciding when to use gritters,

We had not received a response by the time of publication but the council has tweeted this morning that its gritting crews are on call 24 hours a day from October to April and are treating roads.

A similar tweet was posted on Christmas Day but nothing on travel since despite snow and flooding causing problems in the district.

Read more:

• Homes in Masham and Pannal in peril as flooding strikes
• Treacherous conditions on A59 near Harrogate

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice yesterday and warned that up to four inches of snow could fall over the Pennines and North York Moors.

The outlook in the district looks set to improve throughout today with light cloud throughout the afternoon into the evening.

However, temperatures are forecast to drop below zero again overnight.

Snow fell on Christmas Day in the Harrogate district yesterday, although it was hardly a deluge.

Most areas experienced a cold, icy day but some parts of the district had a few flakes of snow or even a light dusting.

This image was taken in Blubberhouses on Christmas day afternoon.

Although there was barely enough snow for a snowball fight. it was nevertheless enough to make 2020 a rare white Christmas.

North Yorkshire County Council gritted the main roads in the county yesterday as the cold snap continued.

It is expected to stay cold for the remainder of the year, with sleet forecast in the next few days.