Tuesday 30 November 2010

Heavy snowfall and freezing conditions have caused major disruption across the country with a warning of more snow on the way.

Heavy snowfall and freezing conditions have caused major disruption across the country with a warning of more snow on the way.


Thousands of motorists were hit by one of the worst days on Britain's roads, flights were cancelled and hundreds of schools were forced to close.

Temperatures plummeted to as low as minus 11C and some parts of Scotland and the North East saw more than 16in (40cms) of snowfall.

Forecasters said many parts of England will wake up to a blanket of snow on Tuesday.

The AA said Monday was one of its busiest on record after it was called to more than 20,000 breakdowns. A spokesman said: "The fact we're only in the end of November and we've had what will turn out to be one of our top busiest days ever is pretty exceptional. No cars like these conditions and unless you do regular journeys of decent length in your car, it doesn't really give your battery much time to re-charge."

Edinburgh Airport was closed due to heavy snow on Monday morning and other airports also faced disruption with a number of flight cancellations and delays.

The vast majority of the railways were unaffected by snow and ice, said a Network Rail spokesman.

Many schools in Scotland, the North East and Cornwall were forced to close.

A spokeswoman for Lincolnshire Police said around 50 to 60 cars had become stranded due to snow drifts and ice close to Raithby, near Louth, during the afternoon.

Motorists using roads near the A153 and A16 in the region got stuck at the bottom of a hill and were unable to pass, causing lengthy tailbacks.

No comments: