17 January 2013 Last updated at 14:44 ET

Cheshire West's roads 'hazardous' ahead of snow

Roads in the west of Cheshire are "particularly hazardous" ahead of Friday's predicted heavy snowfall, council officials have warned.

The county is part of the area covered by an amber warning from the Met Office, which is forecasting 10 to 15 cm (four to six inches) of snow.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has a fleet of 16 gritting trucks and can grit priority routes within four hours.

Heavily-used pedestrianised areas are also being monitored and treated.

Lynn Riley, executive member for Community and Environment, said: "Conditions are particularly hazardous at the moment because temperatures have been fluctuating around freezing and heavy rain has led to lots of water running off fields on to roads.

"Gritting cannot be done in the rain because the salt is simply washed away."

Meanwhile in Merseyside, Liverpool City Council is preparing to use special blowers to clear pavements in the city centre in the event of a major snowfall.