During extratropical transition a tropical cyclone frequently approaches, and may interact with, a surface front. In this presentation we investigate such an interaction using a barotropic model. The front is modelled as a vorticity discontinuity, with high vorticity to the south and low vorticity to the north representing a surface cold front in the northern hemisphere. The tropical-cyclone-like vortex is initially located to the south of the front. A set of integrations are carried out using different strengths of fronts and vortices. The results show that the vortex distorts the initially straight front, leading to the development of large-scale vorticity asymmetries. The flow associated with the asymmetries influences the motion of the tropical-cyclone-like vortex such that it moves away from a surface cold front, but towards a surface warm front.