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Snow chaos: Christmas travel plans easing Snow chaos: Christmas travel plans easing
(40 minutes later)
Thousands of rail and air passengers stranded because of snow may finally be on the move as travel operators begin tackling lengthy backlogs.Thousands of rail and air passengers stranded because of snow may finally be on the move as travel operators begin tackling lengthy backlogs.
Heathrow Airport plans to run two-thirds of flights, and Eurostar and the East Coast mainline from London to Scotland expect a near-normal service.Heathrow Airport plans to run two-thirds of flights, and Eurostar and the East Coast mainline from London to Scotland expect a near-normal service.
But several airports across the UK are still warning of disruption, including Edinburgh, Birmingham and Gatwick. But several airports across the UK are still warning of disruption, including Edinburgh, East Midlands and Gatwick.
Heavy snow warnings remain for Wales, the Midlands and eastern England.Heavy snow warnings remain for Wales, the Midlands and eastern England.
Heathrow reopened its second runway on Tuesday evening, but warned travellers not to expect services to return to normal straight away.Heathrow reopened its second runway on Tuesday evening, but warned travellers not to expect services to return to normal straight away.
It told passengers to travel to the airport only if their departure was confirmed, and said it was working with airlines to return to a normal schedule as quickly as possible.It told passengers to travel to the airport only if their departure was confirmed, and said it was working with airlines to return to a normal schedule as quickly as possible.
Schools shutSchools shut
The Independent's travel editor, Simon Calder, said the situation at Heathrow would get worse on Wednesday.The Independent's travel editor, Simon Calder, said the situation at Heathrow would get worse on Wednesday.
He told BBC Breakfast: "Everybody thinks 'oh well they've got both runways open, things will improve'. I'm afraid the backlog today is only going to increase - by another 60,000 people."He told BBC Breakfast: "Everybody thinks 'oh well they've got both runways open, things will improve'. I'm afraid the backlog today is only going to increase - by another 60,000 people."
Cross-channel operator Eurostar said it was planning to run 43 out of 52 services from London St Pancras on Wednesday.Cross-channel operator Eurostar said it was planning to run 43 out of 52 services from London St Pancras on Wednesday.
It advised passengers to turn up only if they have a valid ticket, and only an hour before they travel.It advised passengers to turn up only if they have a valid ticket, and only an hour before they travel.
East Coast trains said journeys northwards from London King's Cross would take an extra 15 minutes after damage to overhead power lines near Huntingdon on Tuesday led it to suspend services between London and Peterborough.East Coast trains said journeys northwards from London King's Cross would take an extra 15 minutes after damage to overhead power lines near Huntingdon on Tuesday led it to suspend services between London and Peterborough.
Some trains between King's Cross and Leeds are cancelled.Some trains between King's Cross and Leeds are cancelled.
Meanwhile, heavy snow has been falling in Wales, Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, causing major problems on the roads. In other developments:
And there are severe delays on the M5 in Worcestershire and M1 in Northamptonshire.
  • Delays and cancellations are reported on train services run by Northern Rail, First Great Western, First Capital Connect, National Express East Anglia, The Docklands Light Railway and Virgin Trains on the West Coast main line
  • In Wales, 102 schools yet to break up for Christmas closed, as around 10in of snow fell on Anglesey
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  • Yorkshire Water has taken almost 7,000 calls from people reporting frozen pipes - nearly double the normal level
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  • There are severe delays on the M5 in Worcestershire and M1 in Northamptonshire because of snow
    •
  • Temperatures plummeted to -20.1C in parts of northern Scotland overnight
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Forecasters have warned that cold weather is likely to continue in the coming days. In parts of northern Scotland overnight, temperatures plummeted to -20.1C. East Coast chairwoman, Elaine Holt, said there were "a lot of lessons to be learned" from the past few days.
In Wales, 102 schools still yet to break up for Christmas are now closed because of the wintry conditions, with around 10in of snow falling on Anglesey. She told Breakfast: "Network Rail are going to look very closely at their infrastructure and what they can learn from this. We will of course understand what we could do better regarding customer information."
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for heavy snow in Wales, north-west England, the Midlands, and eastern England. Rail watchdog, Passenger Focus, said the recent bout of cold weather should act as a wake-up call for the industry to provide better information.
Chief executive Anthony Smith told the BBC: "What we've seen recently is lots of cases where we've had websites saying different things, we've had phone lines saying different things and we've had staff saying different things as well.
"That confuses passengers and makes them feel that the system isn't looking after them."
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings for heavy snow in Wales, north-west England, the Midlands, and eastern England, and forecasters say the cold weather is likely to continue in the coming days.
Heathrow has been criticised for the length of time it took to clear tonnes of snow from runways and plane stands after a blizzard on Saturday dumped 5in (13cm) in one hour.Heathrow has been criticised for the length of time it took to clear tonnes of snow from runways and plane stands after a blizzard on Saturday dumped 5in (13cm) in one hour.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Even BAA's harshest critics have conceded that given the amount of snow that has fallen, extensive disruption is understandable.At a news conference on Tuesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Even BAA's harshest critics have conceded that given the amount of snow that has fallen, extensive disruption is understandable.
"But if it's understandable that Heathrow had to close briefly, I'm frustrated on behalf of all those affected that it's taking so long for the situation to improve.""But if it's understandable that Heathrow had to close briefly, I'm frustrated on behalf of all those affected that it's taking so long for the situation to improve."
He added: "The people stuck here are having an incredibly difficult time, especially just a few days from Christmas, and everything must be done to either get them on holiday or get them home safely."He added: "The people stuck here are having an incredibly difficult time, especially just a few days from Christmas, and everything must be done to either get them on holiday or get them home safely."
Airport operator BAA said it would investigate how airports have coped with the snow once services were back to normal.Airport operator BAA said it would investigate how airports have coped with the snow once services were back to normal.
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Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy

Map Key

  • Land
  • Cloud
  • Lakes, Rivers & Sea

Fog

Light Heavy

Frost

Light Heavy

Pressure Fronts

Cold Warm Occluded

Rain

Light Heavy Extreme

Snow

Light Heavy
Temperature tab onlyTemperature tab only

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather

Temperature (°C)

More details from BBC Weather
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