An army of farmers are on standby in Hampshire as the county is braced for blizzard conditions.

The county council also says it has enough salt to do 15 days of continuous, round-the-clock gritting.

The 100 farmers, who are equipped with snow ploughs, are available to help clear the region's roads if the snow arrives.

Forecasters are predicting freezing conditions and a snowfall of up to 10cm just before rush hour tomorrow.

The county council says priority will be given to keeping Hampshire's main roads and keeping routes to primary schools, doctors' surgeries and local shops clear.

There are also 3,000 community salt bins for residents to spread on roads and pavements.

Around 100 4x4 vehicles are also on standby to get key workers like doctors and nurses to work.

The county council's deputy leader Councillor Mel Kendal said: “The forecasts we receive indicate that it will snow in Hampshire from approximately 4am and that it is likely to be persistent, with five to ten centimetres settling across the county, although to a lesser extent in coastal areas.

“We will be salting the Priority 1 routes round the clock from late morning through to the start of the snow fall.

“In order to ensure teachers and pupils can get to school and people can still make essential appointments, such as with their doctor, we have already salted community routes this morning and will do so again in the early hours of tomorrow morning.

"I would ask people to do their bit to help, by using the salt in the community salt bins, to treat public roads and pavements near to where they live."