Early frost and a light snowfall brought problems for road-users in north-west Durham yesterday.

Motorists were faced with difficult driving conditions during the morning rush-hour on several roads in the Consett and Stanley areas. Police said the only recorded minor injury accident, involving two vehicles on Maiden Law bank, between Lanchester and Annfield Plain, sparked a call for the road to be gritted. Problems were also reported at Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, where the B6173 was described as "like an ice rink" shortly after 8am, following a snow flurry. But a county council spokeswoman said gritter lorries were out in the area from midnight and resumed at 3am, with each main road being covered twice by 7am. She said: "There was a heavy snow shower at about 7.45am which froze, making conditions difficult. Gritter lorries were out but they cannot do every stretch of road at once."

WOODLAND WORK: Families are invited to join rangers in carrying out woodland management work at the Three Hills Nature Reserve, in Newcastle. An area of woodland will be coppiced to make it more attractive to wildlife. People are asked to bring a packed lunch and wear old clothes, and meet at the Three Hills Car Park, Coach Lane, Hazlerigg, at 10am tomorrow. The session will last until 2pm.

DANCE CLASSES: Two dance classes are held at Framwellgate Moor Community Centre, Durham, on Wednesdays. A children's session takes place from 5.30pm to 6.30pm, and an adults' line dancing class is held from 6.30pm to 7.45pm.

TREE DISPOSAL: People living in Derwentside are invited to take their Christmas trees to Broomsdene Household Waste Disposal Centre between 8.30am and 3.30pm every day. They can recycle Christmas cards by putting them into paper collections or they can take them to Tesco stores from Monday until February 2.

GALA NIGHT: Fledgling County Durham theatre company Dionysis, which sold out a four-night run of its youth production Oliver last summer, stages its first play for a more mature audience tonight. Simon Bridge's humorous version of John Godber's adult drama, Bouncers, takes to the stage at Durham's Gala Theatre at 7.30pm. For details, call 0191-332 4041.

BORDER WALK: Ramblers can shake-off the New Year cobwebs with a bracing ten-mile trek, A County Durham Border Walk, today. Voluntary countryside ranger Bill Gallon leads walkers from Eden Place Picnic Area, off the A693 at Beamish, near Stanley, at 10.30am.

WINTER STEAMING: Steam trains will be running through the north-west Durham countryside on the Tanfield Railway, off the A6076, near Stanley, tomorrow. Trains will operate from 11.30am, heading through the Causey Woods, with the cafe and engine sheds also open to the public.