Essex Fire and Rescue Service and the RNLI have issued warnings and safety advice for residents in advance of Storm Darcy - with Met Office amber warnings for snow and ice for Maldon district now extended through to Monday.

The snow and wind storm is expected to bring heavy snow, ice, gales and freezing temperatures to an area of the east coastline including Maldon district from 11pm tonight (Saturday, 6 February) through until 9am on Monday. There is a Met Office amber weather warning in place for the area from 4am tomorrow. The cold conditions are expected to last through to Wednesday and Met Office yellow warnings for snow and ice currently remain in place until then.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service's Dan Bailey, of the Community Development and Safeguarding Team, said: "Weather conditions can play a part in the number of accidents on the road. Consider if your journey really necessary and in very bad conditions, please avoid driving completely.

"If you do have to drive, please make sure your car is roadworthy – your tyre condition is good, lights are clean and working, your windscreen is clear and blades are working. Make sure the washer bottle is full with screen wash, and you have an ice scraper in your vehicle.

"Slow right down, and only travel at speeds at which you can stop within the distance you can see."

Dan also gave some tips on the situation indoors, adding:

"With the weather feeling exceptionally cold, people will probably be looking for ways to keep their home warm.

"If you're using electric heaters make sure you turn them off when you leave a room, keep them away from anything flammable and don't cover them with anything.

"If you're using an open fire ideally you should have had it swept recently, but also make sure you use a fireguard, you don't stack it too high, keep anything flammable away from it and you let it burn down completely before you go to bed."

There is also some concern over potential flooding of roads when the snow thaws as the ground locally is already saturated.

Dan added: ""We really appreciate people thinking twice before putting themselves in risky situations that could end in a 999 call.

"When roads are flooded please be sensible and only call 999 in an emergency or if there's a risk to life - the fire service doesn't recover cars from food water. Remember, if you come across a flooded road please don't try to drive through it - it's really dangerous and could damage your car too - just find another route."

The RNLI has also issued warnings in the wake of Storm Darcy.

A spokesperson said: "The Met Office has issued warnings for snow and ice this weekend and is predicting easterly winds reaching gale 8 on Sunday, bringing large waves and posing a severe safety risk to those visiting the coast.

Nick Ayers, RNLI Regional Water Safety Lead, added: "We urge anyone going out to think twice about the dangers around our coastline. Slips, trips and falls can be a major factor in these kinds of incidents, especially with the risk of cold water shock for anybody finding themselves in the water unexpectedly."

Essex Fire and Rescue Service has published more information on home safety in the cold on its website, which you can visit via the link here.