Christmas getaway chaos as heavy snow closes roads and forces airports to cancel flights

Delays: An airport worker de-ices an outbound American Airlines flight, after Manchester International Airport reopened after an hour's closure


Air passengers are facing delays and cancellations as freezing temperatures and heavy snow sweep across Britain and much of Northern Europe.

Many flights in and out of Manchester airport were cancelled today as staff cleared the runway of snow and ice. Some flights have now resumed.

And many flights to the US east coast have been cancelled due to Arctic conditions across the Atlantic.

Budget airline easyJet has warned people whose flights were cancelled to avoid going to already busy airports in the hope of making alternative arrangements.

'French Aviation Authorities have imposed further flight restrictions upon us today, therefore we are experiencing more cancellations from Paris Charles De Gaulle than we would have hoped for,' a spokesman said.

Many homes have been without power since Thursday night as a result of snow, an energy supplier said today.

Almost ready for take-off: A snowplough clears a runway at Schiphol Amsterdam airport, where many flights were delayed


About 330 homes in the east of England were still without power supplies this morning, an EDF Energy spokesman said.

He said staff had worked tirelessly to restore the power for thousands of homes affected by the severe weather.

'With snow and ice still across the region, travel between faults remains difficult,' he added.

All ferry services from Dover to Dunkirk, Boulogne and Calais are running and operators will continue to offer intensive shuttle services throughout the day

People enjoy the snow on a hill at Lyme Park in Disley, Stockport, as the snow continues to fall across the North West of England


Michael Dukes, forecast manager for MeteoGroup UK, said the cold snap was set to continue for the next few days, although it was not yet known if milder weather would move in before or after Christmas.

North-west England, the Pennines, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw the worst of the snow today.

'This is very cold Arctic weather from the North Sea,' he said.

'Snow showers are going to continue to threaten north-west England and much of Scotland.


A snowman in Chapel Break, Norwich this afternoon


brrrrr: A young family plays in the snow at Saddleworth, West Yorkshire as the driving snow turns the countryside white


'There will be a few snow showers across Wales.

'Generally speaking, the northern part of the country will see temperatures of between -1C and -4C, with -3C to -8C in the southern half.

'The cold spell is going to continue into tomorrow and Tuesday but there will probably be rather less in the way of snow.

'There is a chance of rain, sleet and snow in central and southern England.'

The AA reported 'another very busy day', although a spokesman said it was 'not quite as bad as it was yesterday'.

'As at 12.40pm, the AA had attended around 7,000 breakdowns - almost as many as it would do for the whole of a normal Sunday,' he said.

Sussex, Kent and northern England, which have all been hit by snow, were especially busy.

Kent Police said queues on the M20 had eased by 4am today after freight traffic on the A20 at Dover was turned around as part of Operation Stack, allowing tourist traffic to pass to the ports.

As a result the backlog was cleared back to the Aycliffe roundabout, a spokeswoman said.


Snow at Birch services on the M62. Roads have been closed all across the north of England after a series of accidents

Eurotunnel and Port of Dover are operating normally now, she said, but tourists are being prioritised above freight.

The French authorities have indicated that freight will not be allowed to enter the country until late today, she added.

Kent Police Assistant Chief Constable Andy Adams said: 'There is now some snow on the M20 and we are working with Highways to grit the road so that we can continue with the progress already made to clear the backlog of vehicles.

'We expect further delays to motorists this morning using the M20 and would therefore reiterate the need to travel only if necessary and, if so, to drive prepared with warm clothing and food.

'Due to further snow moving across the county, several roads are being closed at this time until they are gritted and safe to pass.'

The A229 and A249 are closed in both directions.

Police said the M2 is 'passable with care' in lane one but lanes two and three are closed.

The A21 is said to be 'passable with care' at Sevenoaks.

Police said there is a lorry stuck on Quarry Hill in Tonbridge.

The weather warnings came as Eurostar announced it was cancelling all its services to avoid a repeat of the chaos that saw thousands of passengers trapped in the Channel Tunnel for hours.

There was also disruption to flights following heavy snowfalls in parts of Britain and Europe.

Meteorologists said the cold spell would continue through the early part of this week.

'It will stay cold early next week, with further wintry showers with sleet and snow,' said Met Office forecaster Andy Bodenham.


A road sign reminds drivers to take care on an ice-covered road in Stock village in Essex after heavy snowfalls across the county


The forecast prompted easyJet to warn that it anticipated further disruption and advised passengers to check its website for possible cancellations before setting off for the airport.

As the cold snap continued unabated, bookmakers cut their odds on a white Christmas.

William Hill was offering 2/1 on London seeing a snowfall on 25 December but meteorologists were only prepared to predict snow from the Peak District northwards, as well as North Wales and Scotland.

William Hill has made Aberdeen 5/4 favourite for a seasonal fall.

It is ten years since London and the South-East last saw snow on Christmas Day, but elsewhere - from Northern Ireland to the North-East and the South-West - many areas saw a white Christmas in 2004.


source: dailymail