THE worst weather conditions of the winter so far hit schools and motorists acoss the county just days before Christmas.

Temperatures in Monmouth plummeted to minus four and over fifty schools were closed in Monmouthshire.

Many schools in Monmouth and the surrounding villages managed to open as normal, but an early casualty was Cross Ash Primary School, which was forced to close its doors.

Schools in Abergavenny had to close, while drivers had to slowly make their way along roads in the area.

Motoring organisations issued a series of warnings to drivers, particularly those using A class roads and the motorway: The warning was "Only use your car if it is absolutely necessary".