SNOW fell across the county this week and temperatures plunged, but Essex managed to escape the worst of the winter weather.
Residents woke on Monday morning to icy windscreens and council gritters out in full force as the forecast snow arrived across the county.
Further snowfall in the afternoon and into Tuesday prompted concerns on the roads but, in contrast to the chaos just two months ago, the council's 60-strong fleet of lorries were deployed well in advance.
County councillor Derrick Louis, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "Our gritters have been doing a great job over the past few days, making sure our road network is kept moving.
"I advise residents to continue to travel with extra caution, especially on untreated side roads and pavements.
"We are continuing to monitor weather forecasts, and decisions on further gritting runs will be taken as required."
The public can even keep up to speed with the Essex Highways gritting lorries online on a new live tracking system at www.essex.gov.uk/highways.
Meanwhile, Essex Police have warned motorists to check their vehicles ready for bad weather.
They urged drivers to make sure that antifreeze is topped up, the wiper blades are working efficiently and tyres and tyre pressure are checked.
But the county has so far managed to avoid the full force of the snow, whereas Suffolk and Norfolk suffered hazardous driving conditions and some roads were brought to a complete standstill.
There were some delays on the trains in Essex .
Looking to the next few days, temperatures are forecast to remain low but with the chance of sunny spells on Thursday and Friday.
More snow is predicted for Essex over the weekend.
