The coldest night of the year so far created a busy night for the emergency services as temperatures dropped below freezing.
Essex Ambulance Service had a busy time after the first night of winter saw temperatures plummet and snow falls in the northern parts of the county.
Ambulances were called to 15 crashes between 7pm on Thursday and 7am this morning. Fortunately the majority were very minor.
Crews were called to the A127 between Rayleigh Weir and Progress Road at 8.24pm after it was reported a car had crashed into the central reservation but there was no trace of it when they arrived at the scene.
A spokesman said: "With temperatures expected to be around freezing again tonight we would appeal to drivers to take this into consideration when they are out.
"They should slow down, leave a larger gap between themselves and the car in front and ensure that they scrape all the ice off their windows before they start driving in the morning."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article