New year kicks off with big chill

Monday was the third night in a row in which the thermometer at the town council's weather station in Waterloo Square had dipped below freezing.

But conditions recorded by the town's weatherman, Todd Sweeney, were a long way from the big freeze predicted elsewhere in the country.

Sunday was the coldest night at -3C after a daytime temperature of only 1.5C.

However, Monday night only just went below freezing with a reading of -0.5C at its coldest.

This was the fourth night in the previous week in which the temperature had gone below zero. One other night had seen conditions exactly dip down to freezing.

But daytime temperatures reached up to 6.5C last Friday to show that the weather is far from being Arctic.

The cold conditions have also seen clear blue skies on occasions. Saturday saw seven hours of sunshine to brighten residents' lives.