The Met Office has warned of the risk of heavy snow expected to hit Oxfordshire tonight.

Outbreaks of snow will turn heavy this evening and overnight giving fresh accumulations of 10-15 cm in places and perhaps locally in excess of 20 cm.

The warning said there was a high risk of an "extreme weather event" affecting parts of Southern England this evening and overnight.

It said: "A period of exceptionally heavy snowfall is expected with accumulations of 15-30 cm and perhaps in excess of 40 cm."

Met Office chief forecaster, Tony Waters, says: “The heaviest snowfall this evening and tonight is expected across parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire where fresh snowfall of 15 to 20 cm is expected widely, and locally in excess of 30 cm.

"This is expected to cause disruption to transport networks and could lead to problems with power supplies.”

Derek Turner, network operations director at the Highways Agency, said: “We are working flat out to keep our roads safe and serviceable for use.

"However, it is very important to drive appropriately for the conditions, and even when roads are treated and appear ice- and snow-free, they should still be negotiated with care.”