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Snow causes travel disruption Snow causes travel disruption
(about 3 hours later)
Travel has been disrupted across large parts of England as snow and ice continue to cause havoc. Heavy snowfall and ice are continuing to cause severe disruption to road, rail and air services across England.
The north-west, particularly Cumbria and Lancashire, saw the biggest snowfalls. Eurostar services failed to run for a third day, Gatwick airport's runway has reopened after "de-icing work" but Luton and City airports are shut.
Passengers were stranded at Manchester Airport because of suspended flights. Bristol, Luton and Stansted airports also cancelled or suspended flights. Domestic and European flights from Heathrow Airport have been cancelled.
Eurostar services were suspended for a third day after six trains broke down. Passengers' tickets were cancelled. Snow is affecting many roads around Manchester and the Thames Valley area, while warnings of widespread icy roads have been issued.
More snow, sleet and rain is expected in the south of England later. Forecasters said temperatures across the country would fall close to or below freezing.
On the roads, a jack-knifed lorry led to a lane closure on the M6 in Lancashire and another accident resulted in two lanes of the M6 in Cumbria being closed. Restricted service
Eight weather-related collisions were reported on roads in and around Bristol. During the evening a band of sleet and snow was moving from Lincolnshire and Norfolk down through the Home Counties to Hampshire and Dorset.
The AA said it had extra patrols on duty and was providing extra Land Rovers, which could be used to rescue people in inaccessible areas. Services at Luton, Bristol, Southampton, Stansted, City and Gatwick airports have been cancelled or suspended.
Alternative flights Hundreds of people were stranded at Manchester Airport overnight when flights were suspended but the backlog of flights was cleared by the afternoon, with 27,000 people due to depart on 215 flights throughout the day.
A spokesman for the Met Office said a band of snow was expected in Bristol, Dorset and Somerset on Monday afternoon, and it would continue north to Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The snow caused lengthy traffic jams in London during the rush-hour
He said sleet and rain was forecast for the southern counties of England and London. Bad weather in North America and Europe delayed flights arriving at Heathrow and Gatwick airports for up to six hours.
"It's not just a question of snow," the spokesman added. "There is ice in the forecast because of the freezing temperatures. There's also freezing fog tonight. It's a very wintery picture over the next few days." The runway at Gatwick was closed at 1519 GMT for "essential de-icing work" and re-opened at about 2000 GMT.
At Manchester Airport, many passengers had to stay in the terminals overnight because hotels were booked up. Eurostar services were suspended for a third day after six trains broke down although the company has promised a restricted service would resume on Tuesday.
Travellers complained about a lack of information as hundreds of people queued to get onto alternative flights on Monday following Sunday's cancellations. Rail passengers in Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, and Lancashire have been forced to use replacement bus services because of the weather.
Bridget and Gary Fogg, from Bolton, queued for hours after their flight to Amsterdam was cancelled. Southeastern trains said it would be operating a Saturday timetable service on mainline, metro and high-speed routes on Tuesday, with a normal weekday service for Thameslink trains run via Blackfriars.
Mrs Fogg, 50, said: "We had a two-hour delay yesterday before we finally boarded, but then we were held on the runway for five-and-a-half hours before we were told the flight was cancelled. The company said there would be additional high-speed services through the day and a shuttle service between London Bridge and Cannon Street during the morning and evening peak times.
"I can understand the problems with the weather, but not this." Jack-knifed lorry
An airport spokeswoman said they were experiencing "knock-on effects" from Sunday's poor weather conditions but Runway 1 had been operating as normal since 2300 GMT. Roads in Hampshire have become impassable while in Reading, Berkshire, hundreds of drivers were stuck for hours trying to get out of the Riverside car park at the town's Oracle shopping centre.
In nearby High Wycombe, drivers who have been forced to abandon their cars have been advised by Thames Valley Police to go to any supermarket, a sports centre, a local church or the Salvation Army centre.
One driver told the BBC he had to abandon a journey from Windsor towards the M40 in Buckinghamshire after more than four hours stuck in a queue of traffic behind a jack-knifed lorry and was walking to a hotel.
Snow fell in the North West, the Midlands, East Anglia and the South
Another jack-knifed lorry led to a lane closure on the M6 in Lancashire and another accident resulted in two lanes of the M6 in Cumbria being closed.
Several weather-related collisions were reported on roads in and around Bristol.
The AA reported its busiest day on the roads in 10 years.
By 1500 GMT it had attended around 16,000 breakdowns. Normally, for a whole day on a Monday in December the AA would attend around 10,000 vehicles.
At Luton Airport, flights were suspended until further notice late on Monday afternoon because of the conditions and at Stansted flights were stopped temporarily so snow could be cleared from the runway.At Luton Airport, flights were suspended until further notice late on Monday afternoon because of the conditions and at Stansted flights were stopped temporarily so snow could be cleared from the runway.
Elsewhere, fears were growing for a 22-year-old man who disappeared in the freezing weather after a night out. Adam Passfield was last seen at 0200 GMT on Saturday in Chelmsford, Essex.Elsewhere, fears were growing for a 22-year-old man who disappeared in the freezing weather after a night out. Adam Passfield was last seen at 0200 GMT on Saturday in Chelmsford, Essex.
There was no major disruption on the trains due to the weather, Network Rail said.