Snow hits the North East as police urge drivers to take care in wintry weather conditions

Drivers are being warned to take their time due to the large amount of ice on the roads and the heavy snow fall.

Northumbria Police Tweeted: "Take care on the roads, there is a lot of ice out there and many areas are beginning to experience heavy snowfall."

Cleveland Police Tweeted: "It's already really icy across Cleveland, please ensure that you don't leave vehicles unattended whilst de-icing and have a safe journey."

Across the region the Met Office has said the weather will be cold and cloudy with snow quickly spreading in from the west and heavy at times.

They have issued a yellow weather warining across the region for snow.

Snow is expected to turn to rain later in the morning and easing, staying cloudy. The maximum temperature is 4 °C.