Kent County Council's gritters are expected to take to the roads this week.

The authority has set out its plans for tackling icy patches over the next four days, with conditions expected to get worse as the week continues.

Today, the county is under an amber code, meaning road surface temperatures could drop to as low as zero.

Tomorrow, temperatures will rise slightly, with a green code meaning gritters are expected to stay in their depot overnight.

However, crews are likely to be deployed on Wednesday and Thursday when the risk changes to red, meaning road temperatures are expected to fall below zero with a likelihood of ice, frost and snow.

The weather forecast throughout Kent remains cloudy throughout the week with highs of 9C. Some rain is expected on Wednesday.

Lows of -2C are expected overnight from Thursday into early Friday morning.

Kent County Council has highlighted how the road surface temperature can differ from the temperature.

Factors such as the angle of the sun, the length of the night and whether there is cloud are all considered.

The north of Scotland has been hit by snow and while no warnings are in place, the Met Office says 'rain could turn to snow almost anywhere' in the UK.

The Met Office's UK outlook for the next 30 days is: "It will be mostly settled for a time on Friday, especially in the east, before thickening cloud and outbreaks of rain, perhaps with some hill snow, try to move eastwards later, with strong winds.

"The rain and hill snow will make further eastward progress on Saturday, perhaps with northeastern areas staying dry.

"Thereafter, it looks set to remain mainly cold, unsettled and sometimes windy, with gales possible in the north. Any milder spells will tend to be brief, and associated with longer spells of rain.

"The rain could turn to snow almost anywhere, but particularly across northern and central areas, especially later in this period."