WINTRY weather conditions caused both fun and frustration as snow flurries swept across Colchester today.

Short sharp mini-blizzards made driving conditions particularly difficult at times as the temperature dropped as low as -2 degrees Celsius in the town today, and -1 on Clacton sea front.

Tom Defty, a meteorologist at the Essex Weather Centre said: “To have temperatures below freezing in March is very rare, a one in 25 year event, especially on the sea front where it is difficult to achieve such lows even in the middle of winter.

“Strong winds gusting between 50-60mph are expected between 7pm and midnight tonight which would make the air temperature feel more like -13 degrees."