Heavy snow brings travel chaos

Jan 19 2013

Britain faces another day of travel disruption with heavy snow that blankets much of the country turning to ice.

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded on Friday as airports across the UK suspended flights, and motorists struggled through blizzards along treacherous roads.

British Airways apologised to people trapped on planes in appalling weather at Heathrow airport as they waited for a slot to take off, and hundreds of others had flights cancelled.

More than 400 flights were cancelled at the airport, and hundreds of people spent the night on the floor as they waited for flights to be rescheduled.

The arctic blasts forced nearly 2,000 schools to shut their doors, meaning some sixth-form and college students had their A-level exams postponed.

But the weather heaped misery on more than 10,000 households in south Wales, where residents found themselves with no power.

There are warnings of further misery. Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "With the snow compacting down and turning icy, we're likely to see treacherous driving conditions throughout the weekend.

"Any fresh snow on top will just add to the problems."

The Met Office is forecasting less snow, but has issued yellow warnings for ice over much of the country. The Highways Agency said its fleet of snow ploughs and gritters will continue to be out in force across the weekend to ensure roads are passable.

The M48 Severn Bridge is closed in both directions between junctions one and two because of hazardous conditions.