While many are avoiding getting into their cars – or done so to their detriment – during this week's cold snap, some companies have found their services in greater demand.

Police in Norfolk and Suffolk have issued multiple warnings for people to avoid all unnecessary journeys and to drive to the conditions if trips must be made, but the snow and black ice have got the better of many drivers.

Recovery companies like Tear Recovery, which has depots in King's Lynn and Fakenham as well as in Lincolnshire, have been working hard attending breakdowns and helping to recover vehicles which have got stuck on the roads.

Managing director Robert Tear said the company had 90 call-outs before midday on Wednesday, while by 10am on Thursday morning it had received 13 calls to help recover articulated lorries as well as call-outs to cars and other commercial vehicles.

It had 30 recovery vehicles out on Wednesday and has drafted in drivers who were taking days off to help with the volume of calls.

'There were an awful lot people who were stuck. Some are driving in these conditions when they clearly shouldn't be,' he said.

'The difficulty is actually getting to people. But none of our drivers have got stuck, we have managed to keep free of that.'

While there was trouble in west Norfolk Mr Tear said the majority of call-outs had been in Lincolnshire, where even many main roads have been rendered impassable by snow.

Taxi services in and around Norwich were suspended on Wednesday due to the poor road conditions.

But with the restarting of some services on Thursday many companies were handling an extremely high volume of calls, including Courtesy Taxis, based on Prince of Wales Road.