A van was reported as stuck in snow in a car park at Hillside Hospital, Dundee Road, Perth, at 3 am, while the wintry conditions caused a chaotic spell on the main A90 Dundee-Aberdeen road.

In a half-hour period around 8 am, three accidents were reported on a short stretch of dual carriageway near Finavon, a few miles north of Forfar.

And on the B9113 Forfar to Montrose Road, near Rescobie Loch, a vehicle skidded and hit a telephone pole shortly after 9.30 am.

No one was injured in any of these incidents.

Meanwhile, on the A92 in Fife, around 15 cars slipped and slid into each other during a major pile-up on black ice.

No one was hurt but every vehicle was damaged in the shunt, which occurred near the Kirkcaldy West junction between Kirkcaldy and Lochgelly.

While other parts of Fife experienced real problems on the roads, however, North East Fife appeared to escape without any serious incidents. Police said they had received no reports of accidents and roads had been passable with care.

The A 90 crashes involved a Land Rover and trailer, which was in collision with a van, two cars and then a single vehicle, which left the road.

Many people returned to work this morning following the Christmas break and council crews were out in force.

A Dundee City Council spokesman said, “All 13 gritters were out last night on the main routes. They went out again this morning, just after 5 am, starting with the priority routes and moving onto other routes by mid-morning. “A number of pavement ploughs were also in operation in the city today.”

A forecaster from the Met office in Aberdeen said, “There will be clear spells overnight but widespread frost as temperatures could reach minus 6 or 7.

“Sleet, hail and snow will come from the North Sea, hitting coastal fringes on the east coast for the next few days.

“The snowfall today and tomorrow should be fairly light, but Friday morning looks like it will be particularly heavy before milder air pushes in from the west on Friday evening.”

A spokeswoman for Tayside Police urged drivers to play it safe in the snow.

She said, “Road safety involves all of us and this is particularly important at this time of year.

“Road conditions can become more difficult as temperatures drop below freezing and visibility can be affected by snow and fog.

“It's vital that motorists make sure their cars are suitably maintained and equipped to cope with winter weather conditions.

“Extra time may be needed for journeys and before setting off take a few moments longer to demist your car and clear any snow or ice so that you can clearly see the road ahead.

“Windscreen wipers should be checked so that they do their job and make sure that the windscreen washer bottle is regularly topped up and a suitable cleaning fluid is added to help keep your windscreen clear.

“Tyres should be checked to ensure that they have a good tread and that they are correctly inflated.

“All lights should be examined regularly so that any bulbs which have blown are replaced promptly. And remember, dipped lights should be used in poor visibility.

“A lot of these measures are fairly basic maintenance measures and are simply carried out, however attention to them can be of great importance to your own and other persons safety.”