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Britain has grinded to a halt with roads, railways and runways all experiencing severe disruption today due to the heavy snowfall and icy conditions – with the Met Office warning more is on the way today.
Drivers were stuck in long queues on motorways after a section of the M25 was forced to close for several hours, while passengers were left stranded at UK airports this morning as flights were axed or delayed due to the adverse weather.
Meanwhile, commuters were advised to stay at home after snow and ice wreaked havoc across the whole of the southeastern railway network, while the London Underground was also hit by delays.
Snow and ice weather warnings are in force from the Met Office across northern Scotland, southeast and eastern England.
Hundreds of drivers spent several hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice caused havoc on the roads
Passengers lay on the floor at Gatwick Airport after becoming stranded due to delays caused by heavy snowfall
The runway at London Stansted Airport has reopened and been operational since 3am. All flights from the airport had been suspended earlier on Sunday night to clear snow
More travel disruption is expected on the roads, railways and at airports after snow fell across parts of the UK last night, with up to 10cm more forecast today
Hundreds of drivers spent hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice weather caused havoc on the roads
Fog and ice warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, for much of England and parts of Wales, as much of the UK will struggle to get above freezing on Monday
Fog and ice warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, for much of England and parts of Wales, as much of the UK will struggle to get above freezing on Monday.
In parts of the southeast of England there was significant snowfall overnight, with wintry showers combining with the freezing temperatures causing icy conditions.
This morning, Richard Stanton, area commander for West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service, said a search operation was continuing today after initial reports and video on social media suggested ‘up to six’ children had gone into the water at Babbs Mill Park.
He told BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: ‘Initial reports stated that there were up to six people that had gone into the water and so search operations have continued throughout yesterday and will continue today to search the entirety of the lake.’
Mr Stanton urged people to take care near lakes amid the freezing temperatures that have swept across the UK today, saying it was ‘really important’ people contacted emergency services as quickly as possible.
A primary school in the area said it had closed the school ‘due to the incident at Babbs Mill’, and asked people to ‘keep all those affected in your prayers at this difficult time’.
Hardy swimmers braved the freezing Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park on Monday morning
Significant travel disruption is expected on the roads, railways and at airports today after snow fell across parts of the UK last night, with 10cm more expected
Snow covering the railway tracks in Willesden Green, north-west London, causing disruption for TfL services
Snow captured in Rotherhithe, south-east London on Monday morning
A street in Cirencester, the Cotswolds, after significant snowfall last night
Travel disruption is expected on motorways after there were several accidents, with drivers being urged to take care on major roads.
Hundreds of drivers spent several hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice caused havoc on the roads.
Traffic ground to a standstill with motorists moving several hundred yards in hours as cars skidded and struggled in the heavy snow.
Road users in the southeast of England were being asked by National Highways not to travel unless it was essential due to heavy snow already with more forecast for later.
Drivers on the M25 were stranded for several hours due to the UK’s busiest motorway being closed in both directions between Junction 23 for South Mimms and Junction 25 for Waltham Cross, both in Hertfordshire.
National Highways said the closed carriageway has now reopened, adding: ‘the snow has been cleared, the road has been re-treated and all lanes are now open’.
Gritters were out in force on Monday morning as heavy snowfall overnight saw travel disruption. Roads in eastern and south-east England are among the worst hit
A stag deer in Richmond Park, southwest London, walking through the snow on Monday morning
Gritters were out in force on Monday morning as heavy snowfall overnight saw significant disruption on roads with motorists being advised to adjust their driving to freezing conditions
Other roads in the area with long delays include the M11, M2, A21, A27 and A249, according to National Highways.
Sussex Police issued a warning for ‘treacherous’ roads as the AA advised motorists to adjust their driving to the freezing conditions.
Kent was being particularly hard hit, with snow severely impacting the M2, the M20 around junctions 8 and 9, the A21 and the A249, with drivers struggling to get through.
A mile-long rush hour queues built up after a tree fell across the busy A22 near Nutley in Sussex, where more than 50 schools are closed because of the snow and freezing temperatures.
A bus trundled along a street in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on Monday where heavy snow fell overnight causing travel disruption today
A runner braved sub-zero temperatures in the capital on Monday morning
People look over a frozen lake in Richmond Park, southwest London on Monday. People are being urged to take extra care
Motorists were caught in traffic delays on the M25 after part of it closed due to heavy snowfall. The closed section has now reopened
Hundreds of drivers spent several hours stuck on the M25 in Hertfordshire overnight as snow and ice caused havoc on the roads. More disruption is expected today
A person jogging in Richmond Park in southwest London on Monday morning
A two-car crash blocked the A285 in Chichester but it is not yet known how many people were hurt.
Rail services were cancelled after a train broke down and blocked the line between Littlehampton and Hove.
Families had to shiver with cold breakfasts when almost 400 homes were blacked out near Gloucester in a string of power cuts across southern England and the Midlands this mornuing.
Power board repair engineers faced the nightmare job of clambering up poles and grappling with ice-cold cables in the bone-numbing weather.
Heathrow Airport said it was restricting the number of takeoffs and landings today, while Gatwick urged passengers to check before setting off.
Passengers were stranded at Gatwick Airport due to delays caused by the heavy snowfall
Met Office weather forecast shows there are yellow snow and ice warnings in place for parts of the UK
Met Office wWeather forecast shows there are yellow snow and ice warnings in place for parts of the UK
All flights have been suspended at Stansted Airport last night after it was forced to close its runway due to bad weather.
The Essex airport said the airport is open the runway ‘fully operational’ but adding ‘there will be knock on effects to flights as a result of yesterday’s impacts and flight cancellations’.
A spokesman added: ‘Crew and aircraft will be out of position so may be not able to operate the planned schedule.
‘It was the heaviest snowfall in a short period of time for 12 years, 9cm in around 3 hours, and continued into the early hours.’
An easyJet spokeswoman said the airline is ‘doing everything possible’ to ease the disruption for passengers.
They advised there were a ‘number of cancellations’ at Luton and Gatwick airports which are both affected by snow.
‘Flights were also affected yesterday as snow closures affected Manchester, Liverpool, London Gatwick and London Luton airports with some flight cancellations and diversions,’ she added.
Schools across the UK closed today as people were warned not to to travel unless absolutely essential.
Snow covered Tooting Common in south London after temperatures plummeted overnight
A swimming dipped her feet in Hyde Park’s Serpentine lido this morning
Motorists braved snowfall on the A12 in Hackney, east London, on Monday morning
A woman takes a walk in the snow in Rotherhithe, south-east London, on Monday morning
A dog walker is seen trudging through the snow in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, on Monday
A cyclist makes their way through the snow in Greenwich Park, south London, on Monday morning
St James’s Park in central London was also dusted with snow on Monday morning
As of 7.30am on Monday morning, disruption affected the majority of the entire Tube network with many lines part suspended or experiencing severe or minor delays
Meanwhile, thousands of commuters opted to stay at home to avoid treacherous journeys amid the rail strikes.
Today, an emergency Cobra meeting will discuss contingency plans for strikes this month, including the possibility of military personnel and civil servants getting involved in a bid to limit disruption.
National Rail said snow and ice had caused severe disruption across the whole of its south eastern network on Sunday night and delays would continue into Monday, ‘particularly in the morning’.
‘To allow Network Rail to check that the rails are clear of snow and ice, which can prevent trains from drawing power from the electric rail, the first trains in each direction on all routes will be cancelled,’ it said.
‘We also have many trains in the wrong location after last night’s disruption, which will cause further cancellations to services across the network.’
Southeastern railway running out of London Waterloo warned commuters that delays caused by snow and ice will carry on into the morning.
There was also significant disruption across the entire Tube network with many lines part suspended or experiencing severe or minor delays.
People were advised to check their journeys before travelling.
The UK has experienced its coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures in Scotland dipping below minus 15C.
Braemar in Aberdeenshire recorded minus 15.7C overnight, the Met Office said.
The yellow warnings are in place from Sunday until Monday morning for northern and south-western Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-eastern England, the Midlands and South West as well as London and the South East.
Met Office meteorologist Rachel Ayers said: ‘It will continue to be a very cold day, with maximum temperatures of 1C to 4C on Sunday, and, as we head into the evening, we see persistent rain, sleet or snow in the far South East of England, which is what we have a yellow warning out for from 6pm on Sunday.
‘We could see 2cm to 5cm (of snow), perhaps up to 10cm in some places, with Kent and Sussex most affected, with areas most exposed such as North and South Downs and higher ground going to see the more significant accumulations.
Commuters braved the freezing temperatures at London Bridge station on Monday
Significant travel disruption is expected on the roads, railways and at airports today after snow fell across parts of the UK last night, with 10cm more expected
National Rail said snow and ice had caused severe disruption across the whole of its south eastern network on Sunday night and delays would continue into Monday, ‘particularly in the morning’
A car drives slowly along a snow-covered road on Monday morning in Willesden Green, northwest London
A runner braves the cold near Tower Bridge, central London, on Monday morning
A woman sledges following heavy snowfall in Greenwich Park, southeast London
A man takes an early morning run through the snow in Richmond Park in southwest London on Monday morning
‘There will be ice forming, particularly near to the coast where there is rain and sleet, and freezing temperatures which could cause some travel disruption to start Monday with that valid until 9am.’
Ms Ayers said that although cold temperatures, freezing fog and wintry showers are expected through the week, cloud cover could prevent some of the more extreme temperatures experienced in recent days.
She added that there is a possibility of slightly milder conditions arriving next weekend but it is too early to be certain.
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