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Severe weather in London Severe weather in London
(about 6 hours later)
BAA has said services at Heathrow are expected to be back to normal and that some 500 fewer flights operated out of the airport on Sunday. Heathrow Airport operator BAA has said it plans to run a "full schedule", but warned passengers of the knock-on effect of disruptions from Sunday.
Up to 10cm (4in) of snow fell on Saturday night and forecasters predict only a "partial thaw" later. Forty flights were cancelled on Monday morning due to freezing fog and low visibility. BAA said the decision to cancel was made by the airlines.
Several Tube lines have been disrupted or suspended, but Transport for London said the city was "open for business". Passengers criticised BAA for operating some 500 fewer flights after up to 10cm (4in) of snow fell on Saturday night.
The BAA spokeswoman said 753 flights operated out of Heathrow. It would normally operate 1,300 flights. There are no disruptions on the Tube or on the major roads into London.
London Ambulance Service said it had had 26% more calls than usual. Only 753 flights operated out of the west London airport on Sunday, 58% of its usual capacity of 1,300 flights. BAA said its "snow plan has worked far better than in previous years".
BA diverted several flights to destinations such as Glasgow and Cardiff and 400 other passengers on a transatlantic flight were stranded at Shannon.
'Better snow plan''Better snow plan'
Meg Turner, from Muswell Hill, said her husband's plane for Singapore sat on the tarmac for five hours on Saturday night, before the flight was cancelled and he returned home. Most of the diverted flights are expected to arrive in London through the day and BAA advised passengers to check with their airlines.
A spokeswoman for the airport said: "Our snow plan has worked far better than in previous years and the airport is getting back to normal." There was low visibility at both Heathrow and London City Airport and passengers have been warned of possible problems.
Several passengers criticised Heathrow airport's decision to cancel flights.
But a BAA spokeswoman said: "We are expecting everything to operate as our normal schedule. There may be some cancellations and reshuffling as a result of yesterday's [Sunday] disruption."
"Our snow plan has worked far better than in previous years.
"We took the decision with airlines and air traffic control yesterday to reduce the flight schedule in advance."
On Sunday, Transport Secretary Justine Greening also defended the BAA's decision saying it was the "right approach".
Staff were available at the airport to help travellers re-book their flights and find hotels, but some spent the night at the airport.
Firs Alam's flight to Tokyo was grounded and he said he was having a "disgusting time", and was incurring costs due to the cancellation.
He said: "I am missing my parents and my family members.
"They [airport staff] have offered vouchers but I won't get them."
Passenger Kerry Burgess-Boyde, whose flight from Los Angeles was diverted to Barcelona on Sunday, told the BBC: "He (the pilot) came on and said there had been chaos at Heathrow and all the parking spaces in England had been filled up.
"So he said we are going to go to Barcelona because it seems to be like a nice place to go to."
Margaret Corrie from Glasgow was due to fly back on Sunday afternoon after visiting London for her son's passing out parade.
Describing her journey to the airport she said: "It took us three hours to get to the airport from London - it's been a nightmare journey."
Grit on roads
Ahead of her flight to Manchester on Sunday night, Philippa Britton, from Kendal in Cumbria, who was on her way back from Hong Kong said: "On the flight into London lots of people were astonished that so many flights had been cancelled.
"The runways seemed clear and they have cancelled the flights."
Meg Turner, from Muswell Hill, said her husband's plane for Singapore was on the Tarmac for five hours on Saturday night, before the flight was cancelled and he returned home.
The airport almost ground to a halt for days in December 2010 due to heavy snowfall. The subsequent criticism led it to invest almost £30m to prepare for wintry conditions.
Those heading to Gatwick, Luton and Stansted have been advised to check with their airlines before travelling to the airports.Those heading to Gatwick, Luton and Stansted have been advised to check with their airlines before travelling to the airports.
On the Tube, there are no weather-related disruptions at present, and major roads into the capital are clear. But people have been asked to take care.
Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer for Transport for London (TfL), said: "My advice to people who are literally walking on the streets and anticipating using public transport, is be careful out there.
"There are a lot of grit going down again, probably another few thousand tonnes out there, to keep London's streets moving and on the Tube we are doing all we can."
TfL said 2,000 tonnes of grit had been spread to keep traffic running smoothly and buses were running normally.TfL said 2,000 tonnes of grit had been spread to keep traffic running smoothly and buses were running normally.
Meanwhile, London Ambulance Service said between midnight on Saturday and 12:00 GMT on Sunday, the control room had received over 2,500 emergency calls, 26% more than usual. Several Tube lines were disrupted due to the snow and four trains broke down on Saturday night forcing passengers to walk on the tracks.
Walk on tracks TfL said four trains had to be "detrained" because of difficulties and staff escorted passengers to stations.
It urged people to take extra precautions in the severe weather. London Ambulance Service said it had had 12% more calls than usual.
Earlier, Tube passengers spoke of their experience on Saturday evening when four trains broke down on the Underground.
Naomi Bridges, 17, from Essex, said she had to walk along the track to South Woodford station after her Central Line train broke down.
"We had to get off and walk along the track in the open air and the freezing snow until we reached the station 15 minutes later," she said.
She said no members of staff walked with the passengers and and it was "quite scary".
Transport for London (TfL) said four trains had to be "detrained" because of difficulties and staff did escort passengers to stations.
He said: "We apologise to passengers who were affected by this."
Jeremy Sallon from Cheshire said Tube passengers were asked to wait outside Holborn station on the Central line, to prevent overcrowding, before being told the service would not resume.
Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport for TfL, said engineers had been working hard to get the service running as soon as possible.
Ahead of the snow, TfL said the city was ready with London Underground and London Rail engineers prepared to be mobilised with point heaters in key sections of the network.
It said measures had been taken including bringing in extra stocks of components and making efforts to stop wheels slipping on the Central line.
The Mayor of London, TfL and London Councils - which represents London's 32 boroughs - all said co-ordination had been improved.