POLICE have warned drivers to de-ice their cars properly, as freezing temperatures hit East Lancashire. 

Officers from Lancashire Road Policing Unit posted a picture on Twitter of a car with just a small section of clear windscreen.

Into Tuesday, Britain had its coldest night of the year as vast swathes of the country fell below freezing - with -13C (8.6F) recorded in Shropshire.

Clear skies saw temperatures plunge to about -4 °C in Lancashire.

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Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said there was the potential for a "dusting" of snow on higher levels over coming days, and that there was a risk of problems caused by rain falling in already icy areas.

"It will take a good few days for the snow to melt away," he added.

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Yesterday, the AA had its busiest day of the year with around 25,000 calls from motorists.

AA president Edmund King said: "We expect Tuesday to be extremely busy as temperatures plummet overnight, causing even more hazardous conditions on already wet and slippery roads.

"All of our patrols are working hard throughout the country to help those broken down or stuck in ice and snow and we have plans in place to ensure our call operators can travel to and from work safely to answer emergency breakdown calls."