Motorists are being advised to drive with extreme caution and avoid making unnecessary journeys during the icy weather, as the police and highways agencies deal with several incidents on roads today.

Several lanes of the Manchester-bound carriageway of the M62 were closed this morning following several minor road traffic collisions near to the Rocket, and the M53 in Wirral was experiencing severe delays and congestion due to sheet ice between junction 1 in Wallasey and junction 2 in Bidston.

Earlier in the day part of the M58 was closed in the Maghull area after a car collided with a barrier in the central reservation after losing control on the ice. No-one was injured and traffic is now moving freely on the M58.

Inspector David Corcoran from the North West Motorway Police Group is advising people to avoid making journeys by car unless absolutely necessary, and if they do take to the roads, to drive with extreme care or delay the journey until the sun is higher in the sky and some of the ice may have melted.

He said: "The whole of the motorway network across Merseyside is experiencing severe problems due to the extremely cold weather, and as a result we have been busy this morning dealing with a large number of collisions involving motorists.

"Thankfully, no one has been severely injured and the North West Motorway Police Group, the Highways Agency, and local councils have been working hard at clearing these incidents so that traffic can start moving freely again.

"However, there is still sheet ice on alot of our roads which is often not visible to drivers so I would urge people to drive a lot more carefully today, whereever they are going, and to be more mindful of the other cars around them and the road conditions.

"Drivers should leave plenty of room between them and the car infront, drive slower than they normally would, use their gears to slow down where possible rather than their brakes, and to pay attention to traffic information given on the Matrix signs on the motorways.

"But better still is to avoid taking to the roads at all if that is possible unless your journey is absolutely vital and, if it is, try and delay it until midday or later so that at least some of the ice will have had some sun on it and had chance to melt."