The Hero
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- Jun 29, 2008
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Central Line Tube train breaks down forcing passengers to walk along the tracks to the next station
M25 grinds to a halt with some cars in gridlock for hours
200 flights will not take off today to 'minimise disruption to passengers'
18,000 travellers could be affected by possible freezing fog at the airport
Britain on amber alert - the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning
Dumps of over six inches of snow yesterday and throughout the night brought travel chaos to parts of Britain, with 100 vehicles stranded on the M40, huge tailbacks on the M25, hundreds of flights cancelled and severe disruption to train and Tube services.
With most of the UK on amber alert, the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning, a string of sporting fixtures were also hit by the big chill.
Flurries fell over Scotland, northern England and the Midlands yesterday before moving down to London and East Anglia.
Making tracks: A picturesque scene near the village of Shipbourne in Kent this morning
Treacherous: Motorists make their along Winnats Pass, near Castleton, Derbyshire
Transformed: Snow covers a sign on the A217 near Epsom Downs in Surrey, left, while two walkers enjoy a picturesque Alexandra Park in London this morning, right
Winter wonderland: A man drags two sledges through the snow on the hill in Alexandra Park, north London this morning
Moo-ving sight: As snow begins to fall and temperatures plummet, cattle huddle together for shelter, near Buxton, Derbyshire
In a flap over the weather: Seagulls sit on a snowy railing next to the London Eye
The south experienced the worst travel misery with around 100 vehicles stuck on the M40 for several hours between junction four at High Wycombe and junction nine at Bicester.
They only got moving again after snow ploughs came to the rescue.
Motorists Katie Jones told BBC News: We were stationary for about seven and a half hours. We passed cars abandoned in the side of the road, having crashed off. We passed lorries jack knifed across two, three lanes of the motorway and it's been impassable in large part.
Water sight: A reflection of St Stephen's Tower housing the Big Ben clock in London is seen in the river Thames surrounded by snow this morning
Bad weather also caused traffic to grind to a standstill on parts of the M25.
Tom Jones, who was stuck for more than seven hours in the gridlock, told the BBC there was a nose-to-tail standstill on sections of the motorway in Hertfordshire as he tried to make his way home to Harrow in north-west London.
We joined the back of a tailback, never realising we would be spending the night on the motorway, he said.
Snow joke: Cars grind to a halt on the M25 last night, left, while walkers on London's Clapham Common brave the wintry weather, which left London blanketed in white
Lifting the gloom: Trapped motorists on the M25 built a snowman between the lanes, left, while youngsters in London had a snowball fight last night, right
London snow: 'Man on a Sledge' would have been a more apt film title
Everybody has been in here for a lot longer than they expected.
Mr Jones saw lorry drivers fall asleep in their cabs, having given up hope of getting out of the queue during the night.
He had to get out of his car at times to wake drivers up whenever the queue started morning.
Although Mr Jones was frustrated by the lack of information he had received from authorities, he conceded the Highways Agency was dealing with some particularly special driving.
Before the jam he saw many motorists were hurtling along at unsafe speeds.
Oopsy daisy: Two women slip on the snow-covered roads on a night out in Camden, London, last night
Sign of the times: Snow gathers on a London underground tube sign in Bethnal Green, east London
Wheely slippy: Snow in Birmingham caused problems for some motorists
A plane waits at Heathrow yesterday. Airport bosses have cancelled a third of today's flights at Heathrow because of severe weather - nine hours before a flake of snow had even fallen
He reported seeing several cars stuck on the central reservation, many drivers unprepared for the treacherous conditions, and many vehicles blocking up the hard shoulder, all of which he said would have hampered the Highways Agency's attempts to ease the problem.
The dangerous conditions on the roads were graphically illustrated at Crowborough in East Sussex, where a lorry jack-knifed, blocking the A26.
The Highways Agency said that overnight snow had cleared, but freezing temperatures remained in some areas.
A spokeswoman said: Our winter fleet is out spreading salt and ploughing lying snow, and we are working around the clock to keep the motorways and other strategic roads in England open.
Drivers are advised to pay particular care at locations where local conditions such as slopes, bends or overhanging trees could create an increased risk of slippery road conditions.
It is still necessary to drive with care, even after road surfaces have been treated with salt.
[h=3]CURRENT STATE OF TRANSPORT IN BRITAIN FOLLOWING LAST NIGHT'S SNOWFALL[/h]Operations have resumed at Stansted, Luton and Birmingham airports with some delays.
Heathrow was also said to be running with delays due to a combination of yesterday's snow and heavy fog but both runways were open.
A total of six flights were cancelled yesterday in Birmingham, where some passengers were forced to spend the night in the terminal.
But a spokesman said the airport would catch up today, providing temperatures did not drop too much further.
In Luton, flights were fully operational with some delays due to snow clearing.
A couple of departures were cancelled at Stansted but a spokesman for the airport said there was movement on and off the runway, adding: Flights are subject to delays of up to about one hour.
A Gatwick spokesman said all scheduled flights had taken off and arrived safely, despite three inches of snow. There were no cancellations.
In the capital, all bus routes were operating this morning following a few curtailments to the night bus services, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Tube services were said to have started well but with some issues on the outer reaches of the Central and Jubilee lines.
We are working hard to get these sections running as soon as possible, a spokesman said.
Train company C2C is reporting delays of around 30 minutes to its services in and out of London due to the poor weather conditions.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said there had been around 60 minor road collisions across the county since yesterday afternoon as a result of the weather.
He said road conditions were still somewhat treacherous but were beginning to improve.
The A169 between Pickering and Whitby was closed for a short time yesterday as drivers had difficulty in the snow but the police spokesman said there were no major issues with drivers being stuck.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said a crew returning to their base at Robin Hood's Bay yesterday afternoon had helped several motorists who had become stuck in severe snow drifts.
A message on Leeds Bradford Airport's website this morning said the airport was open.
But it warned people to check with their airline or tour operator before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys.
The message read: Leeds Bradford Airport is open. However adverse weather conditions are currently being experienced and may cause some disruption to flight schedules.
Snowy rural Britain: Heavy snowfall brings Ashbourne in Derbyshire to a standstill but at least one resident remembered to take his Landrover to the pub
White city: People battle winds on a snowy Westminster Bridge in London, left, while flakes fall in front of Big Ben in Parliament Square at 7.20pm last night
Gridlock: Traffic comes to a standstill on the A50 trunk road through Stoke-On-Trent as vehicles struggle in heavy snow and people abandon their cars
Snow-go: This policeman is going no where in in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, left, after snow covers his squad car and right, the empty M6 motorway near Stoke-On-Trent
[h=3]FOUR-DAY FORECAST[/h]Tonight: Across much of the UK there will be plenty of low cloud, mist and fog around overnight with some patchy light rain and drizzle at times. Most of the rain and drizzle should fall across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while much of Scotland should be dry with the best of the clear breaks. Cold with the risk of ice in many places, especially across the east.
Tomorrow: An icy start for many with some mist and fog expected. Across Wales, Northern Ireland and the southern half of England it then looks set to be rather cloudy with some patchy light rain and drizzle. Much of this should die away during the afternoon with the chance of some brighter spells developing in places. Scotland and remaining parts of England should stay largely dry with sunny spells and variable amounts of cloud.
Tuesday and Wednesday: A widespread frosty, icy start again on Tuesday. It will then be cold but largely dry with sunny spells and variable amounts of cloud. However, there will be the risk of some patchy light rain or drizzle edging into Northern Ireland and western Scotland. After a sharp overnight frost, it will another largely dry day with some sunshine. However, there may also be a fair amount of cloud around at times, particularly across southern and eastern England where the odd wintry shower is possible.
Source: Meteogroup UK
Parts of London's Tube line were also disrupted with suspensions, delays and one Central line train breaking down completely, leaving passengers forced to disembark between Snaresbrook and South Woodford and walk to the next station along the tracks.
Driving was also treacherous in parts of Wales and in Scotland, which saw a two-inch layer of snow overnight, while in Nottinghamshire a 35-year-old woman had to be rescued from a frozen lake. She was taken to hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Meanwhile, airport bosses came under fire last night after cancelling a third of todays flights at Heathrow because of severe weather nine hours before a flake of snow had even fallen.
Amid forecasts of six inches of snow and possible freezing fog, Spanish-owned operator BAA announced yesterday morning that 30 per cent of todays flights from the worlds busiest airport about 200 would not take off to minimise disruption to passengers.
It means that the flights of up to 18,000 travellers could be cancelled or rescheduled as airlines scramble to adjust their flight plans. The decision was in stark contrast to airports across most of Europe where, despite arctic conditions, flights were due to take off as normal. Munich saw temperatures plunge to minus 27C on Friday night but the airport expected no disruptions today.
The BAA move evoked memories of Christmas 2010, when Heathrow shut for five days, ruining the holidays of tens of thousands of people because there were insufficient snow clearance vehicles to keep runways open.
Since then, BAA has increased its Heathrow snowplough fleet by 68 to 185 at a cost of £32.4 million part of a £50 million investment programme in equipment and staffing levels.
But last night, as the Met Office placed most of Britain on amber alert, its second highest severe weather warning, the scrapping of flights by BAA prompted questions over why it had invested so heavily in equipment which appeared incapable of dealing with the weather.
The decision was met with derision by passengers at the airport, where by 7pm yesterday a light covering of snow was on the ground although runways remained clear.
Retired teacher Miriam Walters, 62, and husband Derek, 58, flew in on the 4.10pm flight from Moscow after visiting their daughter Penny.
Mrs Walters said: The runways at Moscow were covered with snow and still we managed to leave and arrive at our destination with no bother at all. Its only when you go to other countries that you realise how pathetic we are at coping with a little bit of extreme weather.
Aimie Greggs, 29, a sales rep from Enfield, London, arrived from Hamburg on the 5.20pm flight. She said: The UK seems useless at dealing with all sorts of weather, whether its too cold or too hot.
BAA yesterday contacted London Mayor Boris Johnsons chief of staff Edward Lister to explain why it had ordered the flight reductions, citing the threat of freezing fog as the main reason.
But in its official announcement, BAA said it expected reduced visibility during today and possible freezing fog from 1800 (6pm).
If fog did hang over Heathrow later today, it could lead to more flights being grounded and force air traffic controllers to increase the time between each take-off and landing slot for safety reasons.
Tigers play in heavy snowfall at their enclosure in Budapest Zoo in Hungary. A spell of freezing weather in Europe has caused more than 220 deaths, mostly in the east
Heathrows chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, said: This decision ensures the greatest number of passengers can fly with the minimum of disruption. It also means those passengers whose flights are cancelled will know in advance, and can make alternative arrangements or rebook in relative comfort.
Because passenger volumes are below average in early February, airlines were confident that in many cases they would be able to offer alternative seats to passengers. This will enable airlines to fill empty seats on flights leaving at different times of the day.
Last night, Gatwick had still to decide on any flight cancellations. Stansted and London Luton had no cancellations planned for today. Neither did Southampton.
Flashback: A snowplough clears the taxi ways at Heathrow Airport in December 2010 following the heavy snowfall. The airport was shut for five days due to the bad weather
Heathrow passengers waiting outside Terminal 3 after the disruption caused by the snow in 2010 when the airport was closed for five days
At Manchester, officials said although there had been snow flurries, the comparatively milder weather there meant it was confident flights would not be disrupted.
In Scotland, Prestwick and Edinburgh expected to run a normal service today despite predictions of freezing temperatures overnight.
In Ireland, a number of flights were cancelled yesterday and more are expected to be axed today. Aer Lingus has cancelled 22 flights between Ireland and the UK over the past two days.
Solid ice: The summer resort of Sandbanks turned into Siberia yesterday as Poole harbour froze over and boats became trapped in ice
Frosty morning: Angela Lurssen braves the chilly water in Hyde Park's Serpentine early yesterday morning, as the country awaits inches of snow
Across Europe, airport bosses said they were confident of coping with heavy snow and ice despite the record-breaking cold snap that has caused more than 200 deaths.
In Germany, no airport has shut down operations this winter because of snow. As well as Munich, flights were expected to operate normally at Berlins Schoenefeld and Tegel airports, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.
Most northern European airports are better equipped to deal with snow than Heathrow because of massive investment in fleets of clearing machines and stockpiles of de-icing equipment.
Snowy slopes: A lorry gritting the road on the A4059 near Hirwaun, in the Brecon Beacons, Powys, Wales
Goosebumps: More bold bathers steel themselves against the freezing waters of the Serpentine
Snow shovelling: Livestock on high ground near Hawes in the Pennines are tended to by a wrapped up young man
Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, France, Denmark and Belgium, where the Siberian cold front has brought record lows, were reporting a virtually normal service.
In Britain the Department for Transport said: BAA have taken an operational decision with airlines to cancel some flights on the basis of the best available weather predictions and Ministers will be keeping in touch with them over the weekend to check that their decisions are proportionate and in the best interests of the travelling public.
Both the AA and the RAC have urged motorists to stay at home and to avoid the increasingly treacherous road network. The AA attended 15,000 callouts yesterday, more than double the normal figure for a Saturday. Most involved flat batteries.
The Department for Transport said it had stockpiled 2.4 million tons of grit one million more than last year and said it would not run out as it has done on previous occasions.
Dancing on ice: Flooded fields in the Cambridgeshire Fens at Sutton Gault near Ely became ice rinks for keen skaters
Easy does it: Surveying the slippery landscape at the River Swale near Reeth
Read more: Snow-go Britain! UK hit by up to six inches leaving hundreds stuck on M40 (and Heathrow cancels flights BEFORE flakes even fell) | Mail Online
M25 grinds to a halt with some cars in gridlock for hours
200 flights will not take off today to 'minimise disruption to passengers'
18,000 travellers could be affected by possible freezing fog at the airport
Britain on amber alert - the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning
Dumps of over six inches of snow yesterday and throughout the night brought travel chaos to parts of Britain, with 100 vehicles stranded on the M40, huge tailbacks on the M25, hundreds of flights cancelled and severe disruption to train and Tube services.
With most of the UK on amber alert, the Met Office's second highest severe weather warning, a string of sporting fixtures were also hit by the big chill.
Flurries fell over Scotland, northern England and the Midlands yesterday before moving down to London and East Anglia.
Transformed: Snow covers a sign on the A217 near Epsom Downs in Surrey, left, while two walkers enjoy a picturesque Alexandra Park in London this morning, right
Winter wonderland: A man drags two sledges through the snow on the hill in Alexandra Park, north London this morning
The south experienced the worst travel misery with around 100 vehicles stuck on the M40 for several hours between junction four at High Wycombe and junction nine at Bicester.
They only got moving again after snow ploughs came to the rescue.
Motorists Katie Jones told BBC News: We were stationary for about seven and a half hours. We passed cars abandoned in the side of the road, having crashed off. We passed lorries jack knifed across two, three lanes of the motorway and it's been impassable in large part.
Bad weather also caused traffic to grind to a standstill on parts of the M25.
Tom Jones, who was stuck for more than seven hours in the gridlock, told the BBC there was a nose-to-tail standstill on sections of the motorway in Hertfordshire as he tried to make his way home to Harrow in north-west London.
We joined the back of a tailback, never realising we would be spending the night on the motorway, he said.
Snow joke: Cars grind to a halt on the M25 last night, left, while walkers on London's Clapham Common brave the wintry weather, which left London blanketed in white
Lifting the gloom: Trapped motorists on the M25 built a snowman between the lanes, left, while youngsters in London had a snowball fight last night, right
Everybody has been in here for a lot longer than they expected.
Mr Jones saw lorry drivers fall asleep in their cabs, having given up hope of getting out of the queue during the night.
He had to get out of his car at times to wake drivers up whenever the queue started morning.
Although Mr Jones was frustrated by the lack of information he had received from authorities, he conceded the Highways Agency was dealing with some particularly special driving.
Before the jam he saw many motorists were hurtling along at unsafe speeds.
He reported seeing several cars stuck on the central reservation, many drivers unprepared for the treacherous conditions, and many vehicles blocking up the hard shoulder, all of which he said would have hampered the Highways Agency's attempts to ease the problem.
The dangerous conditions on the roads were graphically illustrated at Crowborough in East Sussex, where a lorry jack-knifed, blocking the A26.
The Highways Agency said that overnight snow had cleared, but freezing temperatures remained in some areas.
A spokeswoman said: Our winter fleet is out spreading salt and ploughing lying snow, and we are working around the clock to keep the motorways and other strategic roads in England open.
Drivers are advised to pay particular care at locations where local conditions such as slopes, bends or overhanging trees could create an increased risk of slippery road conditions.
It is still necessary to drive with care, even after road surfaces have been treated with salt.
[h=3]CURRENT STATE OF TRANSPORT IN BRITAIN FOLLOWING LAST NIGHT'S SNOWFALL[/h]Operations have resumed at Stansted, Luton and Birmingham airports with some delays.
Heathrow was also said to be running with delays due to a combination of yesterday's snow and heavy fog but both runways were open.
A total of six flights were cancelled yesterday in Birmingham, where some passengers were forced to spend the night in the terminal.
But a spokesman said the airport would catch up today, providing temperatures did not drop too much further.
In Luton, flights were fully operational with some delays due to snow clearing.
A couple of departures were cancelled at Stansted but a spokesman for the airport said there was movement on and off the runway, adding: Flights are subject to delays of up to about one hour.
A Gatwick spokesman said all scheduled flights had taken off and arrived safely, despite three inches of snow. There were no cancellations.
In the capital, all bus routes were operating this morning following a few curtailments to the night bus services, Transport for London (TfL) said.
Tube services were said to have started well but with some issues on the outer reaches of the Central and Jubilee lines.
We are working hard to get these sections running as soon as possible, a spokesman said.
Train company C2C is reporting delays of around 30 minutes to its services in and out of London due to the poor weather conditions.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said there had been around 60 minor road collisions across the county since yesterday afternoon as a result of the weather.
He said road conditions were still somewhat treacherous but were beginning to improve.
The A169 between Pickering and Whitby was closed for a short time yesterday as drivers had difficulty in the snow but the police spokesman said there were no major issues with drivers being stuck.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said a crew returning to their base at Robin Hood's Bay yesterday afternoon had helped several motorists who had become stuck in severe snow drifts.
A message on Leeds Bradford Airport's website this morning said the airport was open.
But it warned people to check with their airline or tour operator before travelling and allow extra time for their journeys.
The message read: Leeds Bradford Airport is open. However adverse weather conditions are currently being experienced and may cause some disruption to flight schedules.
White city: People battle winds on a snowy Westminster Bridge in London, left, while flakes fall in front of Big Ben in Parliament Square at 7.20pm last night
Snow-go: This policeman is going no where in in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, left, after snow covers his squad car and right, the empty M6 motorway near Stoke-On-Trent
[h=3]FOUR-DAY FORECAST[/h]Tonight: Across much of the UK there will be plenty of low cloud, mist and fog around overnight with some patchy light rain and drizzle at times. Most of the rain and drizzle should fall across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while much of Scotland should be dry with the best of the clear breaks. Cold with the risk of ice in many places, especially across the east.
Tomorrow: An icy start for many with some mist and fog expected. Across Wales, Northern Ireland and the southern half of England it then looks set to be rather cloudy with some patchy light rain and drizzle. Much of this should die away during the afternoon with the chance of some brighter spells developing in places. Scotland and remaining parts of England should stay largely dry with sunny spells and variable amounts of cloud.
Tuesday and Wednesday: A widespread frosty, icy start again on Tuesday. It will then be cold but largely dry with sunny spells and variable amounts of cloud. However, there will be the risk of some patchy light rain or drizzle edging into Northern Ireland and western Scotland. After a sharp overnight frost, it will another largely dry day with some sunshine. However, there may also be a fair amount of cloud around at times, particularly across southern and eastern England where the odd wintry shower is possible.
Source: Meteogroup UK
Parts of London's Tube line were also disrupted with suspensions, delays and one Central line train breaking down completely, leaving passengers forced to disembark between Snaresbrook and South Woodford and walk to the next station along the tracks.
Driving was also treacherous in parts of Wales and in Scotland, which saw a two-inch layer of snow overnight, while in Nottinghamshire a 35-year-old woman had to be rescued from a frozen lake. She was taken to hospital to be treated for hypothermia.
Meanwhile, airport bosses came under fire last night after cancelling a third of todays flights at Heathrow because of severe weather nine hours before a flake of snow had even fallen.
Amid forecasts of six inches of snow and possible freezing fog, Spanish-owned operator BAA announced yesterday morning that 30 per cent of todays flights from the worlds busiest airport about 200 would not take off to minimise disruption to passengers.
It means that the flights of up to 18,000 travellers could be cancelled or rescheduled as airlines scramble to adjust their flight plans. The decision was in stark contrast to airports across most of Europe where, despite arctic conditions, flights were due to take off as normal. Munich saw temperatures plunge to minus 27C on Friday night but the airport expected no disruptions today.
The BAA move evoked memories of Christmas 2010, when Heathrow shut for five days, ruining the holidays of tens of thousands of people because there were insufficient snow clearance vehicles to keep runways open.
Since then, BAA has increased its Heathrow snowplough fleet by 68 to 185 at a cost of £32.4 million part of a £50 million investment programme in equipment and staffing levels.
But last night, as the Met Office placed most of Britain on amber alert, its second highest severe weather warning, the scrapping of flights by BAA prompted questions over why it had invested so heavily in equipment which appeared incapable of dealing with the weather.
The decision was met with derision by passengers at the airport, where by 7pm yesterday a light covering of snow was on the ground although runways remained clear.
Retired teacher Miriam Walters, 62, and husband Derek, 58, flew in on the 4.10pm flight from Moscow after visiting their daughter Penny.
Mrs Walters said: The runways at Moscow were covered with snow and still we managed to leave and arrive at our destination with no bother at all. Its only when you go to other countries that you realise how pathetic we are at coping with a little bit of extreme weather.
Aimie Greggs, 29, a sales rep from Enfield, London, arrived from Hamburg on the 5.20pm flight. She said: The UK seems useless at dealing with all sorts of weather, whether its too cold or too hot.
BAA yesterday contacted London Mayor Boris Johnsons chief of staff Edward Lister to explain why it had ordered the flight reductions, citing the threat of freezing fog as the main reason.
But in its official announcement, BAA said it expected reduced visibility during today and possible freezing fog from 1800 (6pm).
If fog did hang over Heathrow later today, it could lead to more flights being grounded and force air traffic controllers to increase the time between each take-off and landing slot for safety reasons.
Heathrows chief operating officer, Normand Boivin, said: This decision ensures the greatest number of passengers can fly with the minimum of disruption. It also means those passengers whose flights are cancelled will know in advance, and can make alternative arrangements or rebook in relative comfort.
Because passenger volumes are below average in early February, airlines were confident that in many cases they would be able to offer alternative seats to passengers. This will enable airlines to fill empty seats on flights leaving at different times of the day.
Last night, Gatwick had still to decide on any flight cancellations. Stansted and London Luton had no cancellations planned for today. Neither did Southampton.
At Manchester, officials said although there had been snow flurries, the comparatively milder weather there meant it was confident flights would not be disrupted.
In Scotland, Prestwick and Edinburgh expected to run a normal service today despite predictions of freezing temperatures overnight.
In Ireland, a number of flights were cancelled yesterday and more are expected to be axed today. Aer Lingus has cancelled 22 flights between Ireland and the UK over the past two days.
Across Europe, airport bosses said they were confident of coping with heavy snow and ice despite the record-breaking cold snap that has caused more than 200 deaths.
In Germany, no airport has shut down operations this winter because of snow. As well as Munich, flights were expected to operate normally at Berlins Schoenefeld and Tegel airports, Frankfurt, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Stuttgart.
Most northern European airports are better equipped to deal with snow than Heathrow because of massive investment in fleets of clearing machines and stockpiles of de-icing equipment.
Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, France, Denmark and Belgium, where the Siberian cold front has brought record lows, were reporting a virtually normal service.
In Britain the Department for Transport said: BAA have taken an operational decision with airlines to cancel some flights on the basis of the best available weather predictions and Ministers will be keeping in touch with them over the weekend to check that their decisions are proportionate and in the best interests of the travelling public.
Both the AA and the RAC have urged motorists to stay at home and to avoid the increasingly treacherous road network. The AA attended 15,000 callouts yesterday, more than double the normal figure for a Saturday. Most involved flat batteries.
The Department for Transport said it had stockpiled 2.4 million tons of grit one million more than last year and said it would not run out as it has done on previous occasions.
Read more: Snow-go Britain! UK hit by up to six inches leaving hundreds stuck on M40 (and Heathrow cancels flights BEFORE flakes even fell) | Mail Online