Heavy snow hits much of Britain
People are being warned to avoid non-essential travel
Heavy snow has fallen across large parts of the UK, disrupting travel and closing hundreds of schools.
South-east England has the worst snow it has seen for 18 years, causing all London buses to be pulled from service and the closure of Heathrow's runways.
In Wales, two climbers have died in the freezing temperatures.
The Met Office has issued an extreme weather warning for England, Wales and parts of eastern Scotland. More snow is forecast later and on Tuesday.
'Dangerous driving'
The BBC Weather Centre said up to 6in (15cm) of snow fell overnight with more falling throughout the day and temperatures unlikely to get above 0C for the rest of the day.
Thousands of school children across England and Wales woke up to the news that their school was closed for the day.
All Surrey schools are closed, while in Essex, more than 450 shut and 255 Berkshire schools are closed. Leicestershire and Rutland gave pupils at 200 schools the day off.
 BBC website reader Fiona Morse snapped snowy Surrey Quays, London |
Hundreds more are closed across Wales, London, north-east England, East and West Sussex, Kent, Norfolk Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire and Suffolk, where snow-ploughs were out on the county's roads for the first time in more than 15 years.
Bad weather has also forced the closure of the Old Bailey courts in London and crown courts in Lewes and Hove.
In north Wales, two climbers have been killed on Snowdon. The mountain saw heavy snow all weekend.
The men were reported missing on Sunday night. A rescue team found their bodies on Monday morning.
Air travel has been badly affected.
At Heathrow Airport near London, a plane slipped off a taxiway due to the snow and icy conditions.
Passengers aboard the Cyprus Airways flight were unharmed.
The British Airports Authority said the front wheel of the plane landed in the grass area and they were in the process of removing the plane.
- The northern runway at Heathrow remains closed. All flights from Heathrow Terminal 5 have been cancelled.
- London City, Luton and Southampton airports are closed. Norwich and Leeds Bradford airports have now reopened.
- BAA has warned passengers travelling to and from Heathrow and Stansted airports to expect "significant delays and cancellations".
IMPACT OF THE SNOWFALLOne of two runways closed at HeathrowPassengers stranded at GatwickSouthampton Airport closedLondon City and Luton airports closedLondon buses withdrawnTrain services cancelledHundreds of schools closed
- BAA Scotland said four flights from Glasgow to Heathrow and London City were cancelled and one to Cardiff.
- BA says it has cancelled 65 flights, while 73 Ryanair flights are grounded.
- Gatwick is open, although fewer aircraft are able to take off. Some 23 flights had to be cancelled and 18 diverted to other airports after Gatwick closed its runway for two hours on Sunday evening.
- There is no service on the Gatwick Express.
Passengers due to fly out during the day are being urged to double-check their flights are not affected before they begin their journeys.
On the roads, motorists were being warned of dangerous driving conditions.
There have been a string of accidents on many motorways and A roads, causing road closures, long delays and vehicles to become stranded.
| LINKS TO OUR UK COVERAGE |
And there was more bad news for people trying to use public transport.
- All London buses have been withdrawn from service due "to adverse weather and dangerous driving conditions"
A BBC reporter said he saw many people left confused and distressed after waiting for long periods for buses, only to see them drive past without being in service.
There are also problems on the London Underground and rail network.
- Many Tube lines are partially suspended and the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines entirely suspended.
- South West Trains is running a reduced service on most routes and passengers are advised not to travel unless their journey is essential.
The Highways Agency said there have been too many minor accidents on the roads "to put a number on".
The agency recommended people should only make essential journeys.
BBC weather presenter Jay Wynne said further snow showers were expected during the morning across much of England, eastern parts of Wales and eastern parts of Scotland.
Temperatures in the afternoon would not reach above freezing, he said.
In the late afternoon, more heavy snow is forecast to hit the eastern part of England, including East Anglia, London and the Home Counties, accompanied by "strong winds, blizzard conditions".
 The snow delighted many but bought travel misery for others |
This will work its way up through the Midlands, northern England and eastern Scotland.
Evening temperatures will fall to about -1C for many areas of England and eastern Wales, with the weather turning icy by Tuesday morning making road travel treacherous.
There will be minor snowfalls and temperatures will reach about 4C in most areas by Tuesday afternoon.
One motorist, driving in the Midlands on Monday, told the BBC conditions were much clearer there, but highway officers told him they had responded to 1,735 incidents over a 24-hour period in the East Midlands alone.
The Highways Agency said the organisation was well prepared to deal with snowfall over roads after criticism over its reaction to severe weather in 2003.
Show us your snow by sending your pictures and videos using the form below.
You can send pictures and video to: yourpics@bbc.co.uk or to send via MMS please dial +44 (0)7725 100 100.
Do not endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws.
No comments:
Post a Comment