ICY conditions and dense fog led to chaos on Dorset's roads as police were called to 31 crashes before 10.30am. 

Dorset Travel Police have urged motorists to slow down, with the usual weekday having just four or five collisions in that time. 

A number of incidents have taken place across the country from Bridport to Bournemouth including road closures and heavy traffic.

A woman had to be cut free from her car in Wimborne this morning following a one-vehicle crash that landed the car on its roof.

Shortly after 8am firefighters from Fordingbridge and Wimborne were called to release the woman with hydraulic cutting equipment.

She has been taken to Poole Hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: “We were called to reports of a female driver trapped in following a one-vehicle road traffic collision on Baileys Hill.

“The vehicle involved was a silver BMW registered to a man from Blandford.”

The car was recovered at 9.41am but road closures remain in place on Park Lane and Parsonage Lane due to dangerous conditions.

In the early hours a white Peugeot van, registered to a company from Sherborne, came off the road in Piddle Lane, Cerne Abbas, and landed in a ditch.

No injuries have been reported.

Police were called to the accident at 4.47am and have closed the road between Gales Hill and the junction of Back lane due to the ice.

Traffic is also queuing on A354 Weymouth Relief Road between the Jurassic Roundabout in Bincombe and Football Ground Roundabout in Dorchester because of surface ice.  In West Dorset the cold weather is causing hazardous conditions on the A35 in Chideock.

Motorists are being warned to take extra care between the North Road junction and the B3162 West Road junction because of the ice.

Advising motorists, Inspector Matt Butler, of the Dorset Police traffic unit, said: “We saw a significant increase in the number of collisions on Dorset’s roads this morning and, with freezing fog and ice again forecast for tonight and tomorrow morning, I would ask motorists to take extra care on the roads.

"If visibility is seriously reduced by fog, use your fog lights but remember to turn them off after. Drive carefully and considerately and keep your distance.  "In low temperatures there may be ice on the road even if the road has been gritted. Give yourself extra time to defrost your car and for the journey itself.

"Take responsibility for your own standard of driving – don’t assume that the roads will be gritted and it is safe for you to drive as you normally would.

"If you do lose traction on ice, you are more likely to regain control if you are travelling slowly so keep your speed down and avoid harsh steering.

“Be prepared for the road conditions to change over relatively short distances.

“Listen to travel bulletins and take note of variable message signs that may provide information about weather, road and traffic conditions ahead.”

School bus services across the county were also delayed by 15 minutes or more as a result of heavy traffic build up.

Around Dorchester, the 101 service will not be serving Broadmayne because of the road closure in West Knighton.

Updated school travel can be found on dorsetforyou.gov.uk/school-transport Further disruption is expected tonight tomorrow morning with the Met Office issuing a warning of fog.

The warning is in place from 5pm today until 11am tomorrow morning.# A Met Office spokesman said: "Areas of freezing fog, some dense, are expected to form again during Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

"The fog will become widespread in places, most likely in the southwest of the warning area early in the night and then in other areas later in the night and early on Tuesday morning.

"Driving conditions will be difficult with journeys likely to take longer than usual and delays to air travel are possible."