UK weather – London wakes to blanket of snow… and major travel chaos.
Heavy snow which fell overnight across the capital is set to cause severe early delays for millions of London commuters.
There were travel alerts issued for London’s transport network with five Tube lines either part suspended or suffering severe delays.
There are also warnings of disruption to trains, with affected operators including c2c, Greater Anglia and Stansted Express, ScotRail, Southeastern, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express, South Western Railway, TfL Rail and London Overground, according to National Rail Enquiries.
Temperatures plummeted again overnight, with Benson in Oxfordshire recording a low of -10C (14F).
For most places the mercury hovered at between -4C (25F) and -7C (19F).
Many schools were also expected to be closed this morning. People are advised to check with their local authority for details.
Police and fire services across the UK reported having to rescue stranded vehicles and deal with crashes as several more centimetres of snow fell in some parts.
Several roads were also closed during the night and into the morning due to treacherous driving conditions.
One of the worst affected places was the North East, with some roads being left impassable.
We spoke too soon! Snow showers over central London. They look pretty dramatic from here!!.. Where's @TheShard gone!!?? 🌨 🌨 pic.twitter.com/h0URlnSspm
— NPAS London & South East Region (@NPASSouthEast) February 27, 2018
County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service tweeted that officers had been dealing with accidents in the “terrible weather”, including one involving a classic Mini which had crashed perilously close to a cliff.
The A66 in Durham was closed between the A1M and the A685, while in Cambridgeshire, the A1 was shut both ways between the A1M and the A6121.
Cambridgeshire Police said conditions had caused long tailbacks, and a snowplough under police escort was deployed to get traffic moving.
In Dartford, the A282 had to be closed temporarily due to vehicles losing traction on the QEII bridge, while in Kent, roads police worked through the night to free several lorries which had become stuck in the snow.
Forecasters predict the snow and freezing temperatures will not be letting up any time soon, prompting the Met Office to extend some of its weather warnings.
An amber warning for much of the north of England and Scotland is in place until 6pm, while another covering London, the East Midlands and the east of England is in force until 10am.
A yellow warning covering vast swathes of the UK runs until just before midnight.
Forecaster Helen Roberts said: “The capital is waking up to quite a covering of snow this morning, as is much of the east coast.
“We’ve seen a couple of hours of really heavy snow in London, which was enough to give a few centimetres. Further north has seen even more snow, and the disruption is likely to continue throughout the morning in these areas.
“It will also be another bitterly cold day – even colder than yesterday, with a stronger wind chill.”
