Now that’s cold!

Chilly times call for woolly jumpers: these hardy alpacas, more used to living at altitudes between 11,000-16,000ft in South America, live above Diggle and hardly noticed the weather. They were pictured by Chronicle reader and Mossley runner John Orson as he jogged in Boat Lane.

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SUB-ZERO temperatures broke weather records yesterday as daytime temperatures in Oldham failed to rise above -5.8C.

This freezing maximum temperature was recorded at 1.39pm by Oldham Chronicle weatherman Damian Rodgers, who said it was the lowest daytime temperature since he started recording the weather in 1978.

Minimum temperatures yesterday reached an incredible -11.6C at 8.04am, just skimming the record low of -11.7C recorded on January 7, earlier this year.

Over the next few days, the forecast is set to stay the same with temperatures struggling to rise above freezing but with skies remaining relatively dry. A white Christmas with fresh snowfall now looks unlikely.

It was business as usual across the borough yesterday as council services tackled the Arctic conditions.

Streetscene teams were dispatched to district centres and Housing 21 sites to clear footpaths. Grit was still available.

A JCB dispatched to Oldham Civic Centre alongside a gritting team, and early shift sweeper drivers headed to Lees and then villages in Saddleworth.

Community payback teams worked throughout the weekend alongside street cleaning teams in the town centre to clear snow and ice and spread grit.

Snow and ice was cleared from Gallery Oldham and George Square yesterday, as was the Integrated Care Unit and Tommyfield Market.

From midnight to 7.30am yesterday, three gritters focused on side roads, while from 7.30am onwards grit bins were filled.

Waste and recycling collections will run as scheduled today with teams from the Highways Department helping to aid collections. Additional skips will be placed at designated collection points to aid more remote properties that have been affected by the weather.

Skips are available from 9am today to noon on Friday at:

::Greenfield — bottom of Holmfirth Road.

::Uppermill — Museum car park.

::Diggle — Sam Road car park.

::Denshaw Village Hall.

::Delph — On the junction of The Sound and Oldham Road.

::Grains Bar — Bishops Park car park.

Royton and Crompton School is closed early for Christmas today due to difficulties with transport.

More school closure information can be found at www.oldham .gov.uk/winter. Call Snow Lines for up-to-date gritting, highways and school closure information on 0161-770 4421 or 4423.