A family were rescued after their car skidded off the road and plunged into icy water in east London.
London Fire Brigade managed to get the family to safety and issued a warning to drivers after the deaths of three children in an icy lake in Solihull.
Station Commander David Hill, who attended the scene of the incident on New Road in Rainham over the weekend, said: “Crews did a fantastic job, working in freezing temperatures, to ensure the family was brought to safety after their car left the road and went into a ditch filled with freezing water.
“The ice was incredibly thick, and the water could have easily caused cold water shock. The family were treated on scene by London Ambulance Service crews and were thankfully okay, but it could have been a lot worse and shows just how dangerous driving in icy conditions can be.”
The Brigade is also warning drivers to take extra care when driving in icy conditions, as stopping distances can double on wet roads and can be up to 10 times further in icy conditions.
It was revealed on Monday that three boys aged 11, 10 and eight died after being pulled from an icy lake in Solihull.
The capital woke to a thick carpeting of snow and freezing conditions, with a yellow severe weather warning in place across the South-East for snow, ice and fog until 11am on Tuesday. The AA said the “winter wonderland” scenes created a “nightmare scenario” on the roads.
Drivers on sections of the M25 were trapped for hours with traffic at a standstill, while many parents were forced to take time off work to look after children whose schools were closed.
The mayhem came ahead of days of strike action which will wipe out most services on Britain’s railways, starting on Tuesday.
Sunday night was the UK’s coldest of the year, with temperatures plummeting to -16C at Braemar in the Highlands.
