Winter is set to tighten its grip on the region this week with further snow and sub-zero temperatures on the cards.

The West Midlands will see overnight temperatures plummet to at least -4C (24.8F), the Met Office has warned today. With the wind chill factor it could feel as cold as -7C (19F) on Christmas Day, experts say.

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And snow may cause problems on roads as well as ice .

Sports events were cancelled over the weekend and icy conditions led to road accidents.

Met Office forecaster Stephen Holman said day time temperatures would struggle to get above 0C (32F) and there may be one or two light snow showers in the run up to Friday.

“The snow lying on the ground could thaw but it will refreeze overnight leading to icy conditions on the roads.” He added temperatures tonight would drop to at least -4C (24.8F) and the region may see further snow showers tomorrow.

Temperatures tomorrow and Wednesday are set to stay below zero. The cold snap will continue into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with temperatures remaining below freezing.

In Northfield, Birmingham, a car crashed into a house in Woodland Road last night after it skidded on ice.

Snow and ice caused slips and falls with 72 people treated by emergency units in Birmingham and Solihull.

Wintry weather and freezing conditions stopped dozens of sporting fixtures in Staffordshire, where almost every football match and rugby match was called-off after pitches were found to be frozen solid on Saturday morning.

A farmer’s tractor had to be used to winch an elderly horse up after it kept collapsing on an icy field in the Black Country.

A team of up to 14 firefighters spent two hours in freezing temperatures trying to lift 29-year-old Barley the Russian Draft after he sat down in his paddock at Foxhills Farm, Beacon Road, Great Barr, and could not get up again.