Castle on Shropshire border shut as ice leaves paths 'treacherous'
Snow and ice have left a landmark castle on the Shropshire border closed, but respite from the freezing temperatures is on the way.
Chirk Castle has been closed since Boxing Day after snow fell across Shropshire and Mid Wales and froze over, leaving pathways and lanes treacherous to walkers and motorists.
National Trust bosses said they were hoping for a thaw over the coming days as the castle is popular with walkers.
The trust tweeted: "Chirk Castle property remains closed today December 30th. #waitingforthethaw"
No similar problems were reported by the National Trust at either Powis Castle in Welshpool or Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury.
Today, Shropshire was waking up to frost and mist with temperatures around 2C (35F), ahead of an increasingly breezy day with cloud continuing to build, bringing rain to northern parts of the region.
But the mercury is set to rise for the New Year celebrations with forecasters predicting highs of 12C (53F) by tomorrow. The outlook for the weekend is for rising temperatures with outbreaks of rain, while it will be brighter on Friday.
Earlier this week, temperatures fell to minus 8.7C (17F) in some parts of the country.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: "Tuesday night was again cold but not as cold as it was the night before.
"It will not be particularly cold today if you are out having a few drinks. People can expect temperatures to hit 11C (51F) in the daytime.
"New Year's Day is set to be wet and warmer."
