Winter weather continues to cause problems for UK

Published on 21/01/2013 10:22

SCHOOLS closed and transport struggled to cope as Britain continued to suffer in the grip of winter today.

A layer of snow and icy conditions proved hazardous for motorists in the Monday morning rush while rail and air services continued to be hit.

Thousands of children got an extra day off as schools remained closed in counties to the north and east of London. In some cases, parents were asked to bring shovels to help clear paths to enable them to

open.

Virgin Trains warned of some cancellations in its services between London and Birmingham and the North West, while services into London King’s Cross were also affected.

Eurostar, First Capital Connect, Southeastern, Southern and South West Trains were all facing disruption.

There were delays on some London Underground lines, mainly because of late finishes to engineering work, while the bad weather caused hold-ups on the London Overground service.

Heavy snowfall closed two major roads across the Pennines, the A628 Woodhead Pass and the A66 between Brough and Bowes.

The Highways Agency said both routes would be closed for some hours and advised drivers to find alternative routes across the Pennines.

At Heathrow, some 10% of flights were expected to be cancelled, particularly after 4pm when visibility is expected to be low.

Passengers were advised to check the status of their flights before travelling to the airport.

Yesterday, people were left fuming after 260 flights were cancelled - 20 per cent of the airport’s usual business.

A Heathrow spokesman said yesterday: “Many airports have plenty of spare runway capacity so aircraft can be spaced out more during low visibility without causing delays and cancellations.

“Because Heathrow operates at almost full capacity, there is simply no room to reschedule the delayed flights.”

One person was killed in Essex in an accident on the A12 in Essex last night, and drivers were being warned to take extra care.

A teenager was left fighting for his life after suffering head injuries in a sledging accident in Middlesbrough and a man was taken to hospital in Kent with broken bones in his face when he was racially

attacked after confronting a group of youngsters throwing snowballs at him.

A woman, believed to be in her 20s, died after being found collapsed in the snow.

She was discovered by a man walking his dog in Church Meadow, Deal, Kent, at 7.30am yesterday and pronounced dead at the scene.

A police spokesman said: “The woman’s death is not being treated as suspicious but it is unexplained. A post-mortem examination will be held later this week.”