Drivers urged to cover their cars in towels to avoid £2,500 fine

Drivers have been urged to cover their cars in towels on Thursday and Friday as the UK snow storm worsens. An Amber warning for snow is in place covering much of the southwest of the UK until 9pm this evening as the snow snap continues.

@kirstenparryx published a video showing what happens when drivers cover the windscreen of their car with a towel, saying: "I put a towel on the windscreen to stop it from freezing and it's frozen itself!" The video shows Kirsten heading out to her car in the morning, where the windscreen is completely clear.

Unfortunately, the towel is frozen stiff - and she has to remove it using a large wooden panel. One viewer wrote: "But where do you put the towel after? Not inside or you’ll have a puddle. Don’t want to leave it outside in case it rains and then when you put it on."

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Another joked: "If i did that someone would’ve stolen my towel overnight!" The AA advises: "There are a lot of videos out there claiming to have genius ways to defrost your car. But most of the methods don't work or could even cause you extra problems.

"We wouldn't recommend trying this because the melted ice could refreeze and cause your windscreen wipers or even door handles to stick." It said: "Many manufacturers offer remote heating and defrosting, with some letting you use an app to turn on the heaters.

"Many plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles have a clever pre-heat function that heats the vehicle electrically while it’s plugged in. That means a toasty, frost-free car without running down the battery and reducing the car's electric range."

The AA warns against "portholing", which is the process of clearing a small part of your windscreen and using that as your only road visibility, which could lead to £2,500 fines. "Not everyone bothers to clear all the ice off before they drive off, instead leaving just enough of a window to see through," it said.

"This is known as 'portholing' and could get you in trouble with the police if you're caught driving dangerously."