Motorists returning to work after the Christmas holidays faced treacherous conditions on the roads today as Arctic weather hit Bradford.

Bradford Council's £1.4 million snow plan swung into action, through its ice prediction system where infra-red cameras help officers to decide which roads will be most affected.

Today, main roads were clear after gritting started early yesterday evening, but more snow was expected during the day.

The snow plan has been made more sophisticated since the 1996 blizzards which left one man dead and thousands of people unable to get home and seeking refuge in the city

Inspector Sam Sagar, of Bradford Central Police, said: "If it continues to snow there may be problems when people are heading home from work tonight.

"What we would suggest is that people stagger their journeys home instead of all going at 5pm. Previously, when this happened there has been gridlock.

"We have had no reports of accidents in our area so far - the Council seems to have done a good job and gritted all the main roads."

A spokesman for Keighley police added that all main roads in the Keighley area had been gritted but motorists had to use extreme caution on minor roads which were still very slippery.

He added that police were considering closing the A6033 Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge Road which was impassable to all non-4X4 vehicles.

The belated white Christmas was expected to create treacherous driving conditions. Motoring organisations warned drivers to adjust their speed to the conditions.

An RAC spokeswoman said: "Even a smattering of snow can be lethal."

David Kennedy, assistant chief executive for Bradford Council, said gritters were out at 6am today and would be working during the day, depending on the weather.

He appealed to the public to use the council helpline on (01274) 751000 only for emergencies.

A spokesman for the Press Association Weather Centre said there was likely to be no improvement in the weather until after the weekend.

It will remain mainly dry with the temperature rising to just above freezing during the day. But temperatures will drop well below freezing again tonight, bringing the chance of further snow.

A band of precipitation arriving in the UK during the weekend from the Atlantic, combined with freezing condition, is likely to bring heavier snow falls and sleet.