MOTORISTS have been warned of further hazardous driving conditions as the big freeze continues this weekend.

Sleet and snow showers are expected to continue across the region into the middle of next week, weather experts have warned.

Ice will be a problem on the roads, with temperatures in parts of the North struggling to get above freezing tomorrow, forecasters said.

The chilly start to the new year follows the coldest December for more than a decade.

Fresh snow flurries are expected this morning, followed by an anticipated heavy snowfall on Tuesday.

A Met Office spokesman for the North-East and North Yorkshire issued a warning and said: “Snow showers are likely to become heavy and frequent at times giving further falls of several centimetres in many areas, with the potential for more than 20 centimetres locally.”

In south-west Durham, heavy snowfall was reported in Wolsingham yesterday, and about three to four inches fell overnight in Crook.

Some rural roads in Upper Teesdale were impassable.

Police have warned motorists in the Malton area of North Yorkshire to be wary of poor road conditions.

Drivers using the A170, from Thirsk to Helmsley, and the B1257, from Stokesley to Malton, are warned to be particularly careful because of ice and snow.

The emergency services said there had been no reports of any weather-related incidents in the area.

■ Tomorrow’s market at Catterick Racecourse, North Yorkshire, has been cancelled because of the weather.

It is expected that the market will resume trading next Sunday.