Snowy scenes in Debenham.

COUNCIL bosses have said that all priority roads in Suffolk and Essex were gritted over Sunday night despite a string of accidents yesterday morning following a blast of wintry weather.

Suffolk police revealed a total of 65 traffic-related crashes were reported between 6am and 11am yesterday in comparison to 20 accidents during the same period last Friday.

Emergency services were called out to accidents across the county including a car ploughing into a ditch in Kelsale and a crash between a Ford Ka and a lorry at Alpheton. No-one is thought to have been seriously injured.

A Suffolk County Council spokesman confirmed that all priority one routes - including A and B roads - were gritted.

He said: “Priority one and two routes and other main roads, bus routes and roads around schools were gritted at 4pm and 8pm on Sunday and around 3am yesterday morning and our gritters have been out again throughout the day.

“The issue is that the rain and other water washes the grit away so it’s often a case of treating the road and re-treating and re-treating again to keep the grit on the road.

“A total of 45 gritters are out all over the county to keep routes passable.”

The Essex Highways fleet of 60 gritting lorries treated roads across the county on Sunday afternoon and yesterday to keep traffic moving and roads passable.

Derrick Louis, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: “We are keeping a close eye on weather forecasts, and decisions on further salting runs will be taken as required.”

St Mary’s CEVAP school in Hadleigh was forced to close yesterday due to boiler problems while Sir John Leman High School was closed to years nine and 10.