DRIVERS are being urged to prepare themselves and their vehicles for travelling in bad weather this winter.

After a week of heavy rain, officers at Bury Council have re-enforced advice to motorists to make advance checks of the weather forecast, make sure their cars are in good condition, and carry an emergency kit.

Jan Brabin, the council's senior road safety officer, said an emergency kit should include warm clothing, a torch, an ice scraper, battery jump leads, a first aid kit, food, a warm drink and a shovel in case of snow.

She said: “Often the hardest thing for drivers to do is to adapt their driving style to the changing weather and driving conditions. Wet and icy roads can have a huge impact on a vehicle’s stopping distance, so slow down and drive carefully even on roads that have been treated. In icy conditions it can take up to 10 times as long to stop.”

She added: “In extreme weather, it may be necessary to close roads to traffic using road closed signs and cones. Drivers should be aware that this is done for good reason and on safety grounds.

"It is an offence to remove signs and cones and drivers' insurance can be invalidated, if they travel down a closed road. The main concern is Rawson’s Rake in Ramsbottom, which due to the gradient can become impassable in severe weather.”