After the first serious snow of the year, crews from the Macedonian Roads company were out today to keep the roads open.

The company was largely prepared for hte snow, and the main mountain passes were kept open for vehicles, while Straza, Preseka, Gjavato and Mavrovo were closed for heavy vehicles only.

Road assistance teams had to help at the Mavrovo and Popova Sapka ski resorts, where a few dozen vehicles had taken to the road without winter tyres, and had difficulty handling the snow.