Big freeze: Continental Europe hit by blast of severe winter weatherw

Published on 12/12/2012 00:00

Parts of south-eastern and central Europe have experienced heavy snowfalls in the last few days, with the Balkans particularly hard hit.

Snowdrifts and avalanches blocked roads in hilly northern Montenegro and heavy snowfall blocked roads to more than a dozen villages in south-western Serbia.

At least nine deaths have been blamed on the freeze, as temperatures hit -15C.