GLOUCESTERSHIRE County Council's gritting teams will be out tonight as hail and sleet are expected to bring icy patches.

Forecasters are predicting temperatures to fall to -1 tonight in some parts of the county so winter response crews will be going out from 5pm this evening.

Gritting will take place on all A, B and some C roads and routes to emergency services such as hospitals and fire stations.

The council's 33-strong team of gritters will continue to treat key routes throughout the week as the weather remains unsettled.

Strong south westerly winds and heavy rain is forecast on Wednesday with further showers on Thursday and a band of heavier rain through Friday into the weekend. This brings the potential for ice, sleet and frost each night.

There are high volumes of water across the county as river levels and water on the ground will remain high for the rest of this week. People are advised to drive carefully and appropriate to the road conditions.

There are still some key roads closed because of the recent wet weather.

Key routes closed are: • Spiltalgate Lane, Cirencester

• A417 Maisemore between Over and Maisemore

• B4213 Hawbridge Road, Tirley

• B4234 Lower Lydbrook

• Sandhurst Lane, Gloucester

The following roads are now passable with care:

• A438 Ashchurch Road, near Morrisons in Tewkesbury

• A438 Ashchurch Road, near traffic lights to Junction 9 of the M5

• B4080 Bredon Road near White Bear Pub

• A38 Norton

• A38 Longford from Longford Lane to Longford Roundabout

Cllr Vernon Smith, Cabinet member for highways and flood said: “There are some routes shut because of the flooding which is already causing disruption on the roads. With the freezing temperatures we're expecting overnight, the roads tomorrow are likely to be icy in places and people need to be extra careful driving around.

"With the amount of standing water on the roads, in reality we are going to see patches of ice forming and people need to be vigilant and drive to the road conditions. We will work hard to reopen roads if and when it is safe to do so.”

Follow @GlosHighways, @GlosCC and @Glos_Police on Twitter for updates on the road situation.

You can also keep up to date from all agencies on Twitter using the hashtag #floodglos.