A SOLDIER suffering from hypothermia had to be airlifted to hospital as icy conditions gripped the North-East.

The 24-year-old became ill today while on an exercise at Otterburn Army Camp, Northumberland, and had to be flown to Wansbeck Hospital.

A spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance said: "Our Pride of Cumbria helicopter was called out at about 9.10am to assist the North East Ambulance service at Otterburn Army Camp where a soldier had become hypothermic whilst on exercise.

"The casualty was treated at the scene by a Great North Air Ambulance doctor and flown to Wansbeck hospital in a stable condition."

Meanwhile, commuters struggled to get to work as temperatures plummeted to minus three at Great Dun Fell, Cumbria, the lowest in the country.

Motorists found themselves navigating through a blizzard on the A66 in Cumbria as severe weather warnings for snow were issued across the county.

A cyclist near Bowes, County Durham, gave up riding his bike and instead carried it across heaps of snow.

Others were forced to sweep layers of snow from the windscreens of their cars as the big freeze took hold for the first time this year.

Snow ploughs also had to battle to clear the busy A66 which runs from Scotch Corner in the east to Penrith, Cumbria, in the west.

A spokesperson for the MET office said: "The vast majority of the snow fell in Scotland, but there was also a great deal in Cumbria.

"There will be icy conditions again on Tuesday and we urge motorists across the country to be careful."