DRIVERS forced to spend the night in their vehicles on the A303 have now been recused after a major incident was declared, according to Wiltshire Police. 

Wiltshire Council declared the major incident shortly after 10am today and advised people not to travel. 

Police worked with other agencies, including Highways England, to help rescue those who were stuck. 

Highways England said that it is "just doing what it can in extreme circumstances" to help those stranded. 

Despite traffic now moving along the A303 the eastbound carriageway at the A350 at Mere is still closed. 

Motorist Thomas Hamilton described "apocalyptic scenes" near Mere on a steep section of the road where drivers had been stuck overnight in freezing temperatures.

He said there were "hundreds of trucks and cars littered everywhere".

Mr Hamilton posted on Twitter that he had been on the A303 for 13 hours and had not moved for eight of those. 

A coach with 40 passengers was stuck over night, after leaving London at 3.15pm it became stranded. 

The coach company, Berry Coaches, said last night it was making slow progress but was "being impeded by abandoned vehicles".

Another told the BBC that he had been stuck on the road since 4.05pm yesterday, adding: "I only live five miles down the road." 

One driver said that there had been no responce from the emergency service. 

He added: "It's obviously not good enough. I have no idea what's actually going on." 

According to the police, officers have been extremely busy throughout the day attending calls regarding jack-knifed lorries and abandoned vehicles, as well as drivers whose vehicles had become stranded on the A303 and A346.

Superintendent Phil Staynings said: “We are doing all that we can to ensure the safety of residents in Wiltshire and as you can imagine, our officers and call handlers, are currently extremely busy.

“We are urging residents to only leave home if absolutely necessary and if you are heading out, please make sure you leave plenty of time, take necessary supplies and always let someone know where you are going and how long you expect to be.

“With these severe weather conditions, it’s also really important to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours to make sure they are ok.

“Keep up to date with our social media and website for road closures throughout the day.”

More as we have it...