MOTORISTS ARE being warned to brace themselves for more treacherous conditions today as the big chill continues across Tayside and Fife.

As early as tea-time yesterday, police in Angus reported that roads treated with salt earlier in the day were starting to freeze over again.

And with forecasters predicting overnight frost and fog, emergency services have called for the same caution with which most drivers approached yesterday’s whiteout.

“With all the rain the grit is likely to be washed away and people should be careful as that may cause slippery conditions,” said Aberdeen-based Met Office forecaster Tom Masson.

Mr Masson said, “Overnight it will be mostly dry with the odd rain shower. Temperatures will be cold tonight with an overnight frost affecting roads.”

Despite yesterday’s whiteout conditions making driving treacherous, police reported just a handful of accidents and no casualties.

The first happened at around 6 am, when a car being driven by a constable on his way to work in Glenrothes skidded off the road and landed in a river off the A92 at the Parbroath crossroads.

The officer was unhurt and escaped unaided.

There were a number of minor accidents in west Fife, said police, but there were no reports of anyone being badly hurt.

In one, near Oakley, a man escaped with minor injuries after his car spun off the road on the A907 yesterday morning. The man, who has not been named, did not require hospital treatment.

His Mercedes spun out of control on the icy road and crashed into a barrier near the old railway bridge at Bogside at about 9.30 am. No one else was injured in the accident.

In Forfar, police were called to one minor, non-injury accident, at Guthrie Castle, when a car skidded off the road and went through a fence.

The Arbroath area escaped the worst of the wintry weather with light snow and hail showers giving way to sleet and rain. Police reported no particular problems on the roads.

Heavy snow caused chaos for early morning motorists in Perthshire. All roads in the region were affected, but no routes were shut.

Police praised motorists for their responsible driving in hazardous morning conditions, before roads started to improve with the onset of the rain.

The main Kingsway route through Dundee was effectively reduced to a single lane at times, and residential streets in the west end of the city were among the most treacherous.

The Scottish Ambulance Service had to call in a snowplough to dig out an ambulance stuck on a hill in the city.

But Lewis Campbell, SAS’s head of accident and emergency for east central division, stressed the vehicle was on route to a “low priority” call in Martingale Gardens in the Hilltown area of the city and there was no patient on board at the time.

“No patient was put at risk,” said Mr Campbell, who said another ambulance was sent to collect the patient while the first ambulance was being freed by the snowplough.

Emergency ambulances were also struggling to get to Ninewells Hospital because of the road conditions.

Barry Klaassen, duty consultant in charge of the hospital’s accident and emergency department, said ambulance staff were reporting particular difficulty negotiating the Kingsway.

“The Kingsway was very difficult for even ambulances getting through,” he said yesterday. “The ambulance service will be getting on to the roads department to try and do something about it. It’s really quite treacherous out there.”

The department’s own staff had struggled to get in to work from across Tayside but had all managed to turn up for duty.

The consultant said his own department had seen “a run of people” attending with limb fractures caused by slipping in the ice and snow. However, he believed people were heeding advice and staying inside as much as possible.

So far he and his colleagues had few dealings with people suffering from hypothermia but he warned night clubbers and party revellers against going outside in T-shirts, risking collapse and hypothermia.

“If possible people should stay indoors if they can and only go outside if absolutely necessary,” said Mr Klaassen. “If it’s necessary to venture out then wear appropriate protective and warm clothing.”

Dundee City Council said the snow ploughs had been out in force since 5.30 am to ensure that the roads remained open.

Their efforts were aided by a mid-day rise in temperatures and the arrival of rain to replace the earlier snow-showers.

However, a police spokesman said last night, “We’ve had an update saying that roads in the Kirriemuir area are passable with care.

“There is still snow on some roads, and those which have been treated are starting to freeze over again. The fog is coming in too, and visibility is down to 50 yards.”

Meanwhile, the Met Office is predicting that the weather “is not looking too bad” for Hogmanay.

“There is a risk of a touch of night frost but as long as you’re wrapped up in warm clothing you shouldn’t feel the cold too much,” added Mr Masson.

“There is a possibility of a light wind and some rain but it will be generally be quite a dry New Year.”