A police car skidded in to a ditch after hitting black ice as Braintree plunged in to sub-zero temperatures.

The accident happened near Cressing Train Station in Bulford Lane at around 11.15 pm last night.

No officers were injured in the accident and the car was later recovered.

Tom Defty from the Essex Weather centre confirmed that Braintree was the coldest place in the county on Monday and Tuesday with around 3cms of snow and temperatures of -2 degrees celsius.

The cold snap is due to continue for the rest of the week with tomorrow's temperatures expected to fall as low as -6 degrees celsius.