ICE, rain and sleet is again forecast for Oxfordshire, but highways bosses say they have enough grit for main roads.

According to the Met Office, minimum temperatures will drop to -2 Celsius tonight and zero tomorrow night.

Heavy snowfall across the county in February depleted grit stocks and Oxfordshire County Council had to briefly cut back the number of roads it treated.

Yesterday, the county said it would be back to gritting its usual roads but refused to give any details about how short its stocks ran in February, how much it had managed to replenish them or the cost involved.

A spokesman said: “The county council has continued to keep a very strong eye on predicted weather and is very much aware that further cold weather is forecast in coming days.

“The council routinely salts 43 per cent of Oxfordshire County Council’s road network in cold weather.

“Towards the end of the recent period of cold weather and snowfall, the county council had to reduce this to 29 per cent of roads, including all major routes but not some county B-roads.

“Deliveries of salt have been received in the interim and the county council is now able to resume gritting at the 43 per cent level.”

The Highways Agency, responsible for gritting motorways and trunk roads, said it would grit the M40 and A34 if the forecast weather hits.

A Met Office spokesman said the cold snap is expected to be over by the weekend and next week is expected to be milder.

Hail will hit the county today and tomorrow according to forecasters but it is not expected to snow.