Motorists have been urged to re-think their journeys tonight as snow and ice make driving treacherous in some parts of Northern Ireland.
With significant snowfall settling in the north west, several accidents have already been reported and the PSNI and Traffic Watch NI have both issued travel advice warnings.
Multiple car accidents have occurred across Derry and Strabane in particular with one car careering down Creggan Road and hitting a gas metre.
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The PSNI said: "Motorists are advised to exercise caution due to icy roads throughout Northern Ireland. Stopping distances increase greatly when weather conditions are poor, so slow down and leave a bigger gap between your vehicle and the vehicle in front.
SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan said: "Getting reports of numerous collisions along Spencer Road, Creggan, the Bog and elsewhere.
"If you have to drive tonight, please take extreme caution. If you don't have to go out, my advice would be not to.
"DfI gritters are out and we continue to seek refills for gritboxes. Thanks to those out working in this weather - stay safe!
Mr Durkan also urged parents to check where the children are tonight added: "It's treacherous enough driving in these conditions without having to run the gauntlet of snowball-throwing youths.
"Please have a word with your children and educate them about the risks of such behaviour. I know many young ones will think it's just a bit of harmless fun and a chance to get a good cheevie but the consequences could be fatal."
He also hit out at the lack of preparation for the forecasted cold snap. Mr Durkan said: “It is patently clear that budget pressures are severely limiting the department’s ability to respond to the demand for winter services.
"The potential consequences on road safety doesn’t bear thinking about. In December we witnessed a week of icy weather, weather which in my opinion, the local roads provision was not sufficiently equipped to deal with.
"My office was inundated with requests for grit box refills which couldn’t be accommodated and roads went untreated as the staff were forced to prioritise blue light and main routes. Access to grit during these periods was like gold dust. As prices for salt increases, that’s unlikely to change.
“This is by no means a reflection of the great work carried out by DfI staff on a daily basis. They’ve been forced to meet increasing demands on a greatly diminished budget and that’s a reality which applies right across the board, affecting not just winter services but pothole repairs, resurfacing works and road safety measures to name a few."
Traffic Watch NI also urged motorists in the north west to exercise caution after a number of accidents were reported on Monday evening, with social media footage showing cars being driven too fast for the conditions and crashing into a wall.
It stated: "Lots of lying snow about at the minute causing dangerous driving conditions. Please only travel if you have to.."
There were other reports that a pedestrian was injured near Free Derry corner in the Bogside area of Derry.
Meanwhile, people have been urged to keep warm and check in on family and friends who may be more vulnerable to cold weather with sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice hitting parts of the UK this week.
The UK Health Security Agency, a Government health agency, issued a level three cold alert on Monday in response to “severe winter weather”.
It warned that older people and those with pre-existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable during a cold snap, and stressed it could have a “serious impact” on people’s health.
It comes as the Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across parts of Northern Ireland from 12pm on Monday until 12pm on Tuesday.
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