Emergency teams are on standby as the borough prepares itself for an icy blast.

Forecasters have predicted temperatures of -4C to hit London and the south-west on Friday, along with strong winds.

The arrival of the wintry weather has prompted Kingston Council’s tree contactors to be at the ready to remedy any damage that may be caused by fallen trees or branches.

Despite neighbouring boroughs, such as Sutton, deploying gritting teams this week to keep road conditions safe, Kingston’s roads have not yet been treated.

A council spokesman said: “We have a major incident team alongside an emergency callout team that deals with emergencies within the borough. We receive daily weather updates from the Met Office to assist us in making a decision regarding gritting.

“At this moment in time we have not received any information regarding low temperatures that would warrant us to put any additional provision in place.”

However, the council does have a contingency plan in place for the coming winter months.

A council spokesman said: “We also have contingency plans in place, as always, as part of our winter planning to make sure people using our social care services, including older and disabled people living the community, can continue to benefit from essential services.”