TEMPERATURES plunged to minus 23C overnight on Wednesday into yesterday, the lowest in the UK in more than two decades, following an “extreme freeze”.
The mercury dropped to minus 23C in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 1995, the Met Office said.
Forecasters said the last time a temperature below minus 20C was recorded in the UK was December 23, 2010.
Elsewhere, a motorist was charged with dangerous driving after they were spotted with just a “porthole” scraped out of their snow-covered windscreen.
The vehicle’s front and back windscreen were almost entirely covered in snow, with just its side windows clear, when it was stopped by officers in Dundee shortly before 10am yesterday.
A small circle of windscreen on the driver’s side had been cleared, but the rest was covered in a thick layer of snow. Police issued pictures of the car as they urged people to ensure they clear their windows properly before setting off.
A tweet on the Police Scotland Tayside account from yesterday read: “This car was stopped by our Roads Policing Unit shortly before 10am today, at Kinnoull Road, Dunsinane Industrial Estate in Dundee.
“The driver has been charged with dangerous driving.
“We know it’s inconvenient having to clear your car before you drive, but it MUST be done.”
Earlier, police in Edinburgh had charged a motorist whose windscreen was mostly covered in ice.
They tweeted a picture of the vehicle, which showed just a small area on the driver’s side had been scraped clear.
Police tweeted: “A pedestrian or cyclist wouldn’t stand a chance of being seen.
“The driver has been cautioned and charged with dangerous driving and has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal.”
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