Latest travel advice: Misery at Gatwick airport as 600 flights are cancelled

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Snow ploughs try to clear part of the runway at Edinburgh airport. Britain's big chill is set to intensify and spread this week with stronger winds, severe frosts and more heavy snow, forecasters said


Thousands of passengers have had their travel plans cancelled today after heavy snowfall in the South East forced Gatwick airport to shut.

The airport's runway was closed at 10.30pm on Tuesday after up to six inches of snow fell in the area. Between 550 and 600 flights were scheduled to depart from Gatwick before 6am on Thursday morning.

A Gatwick spokesperson told TravelMail: 'Between 5-6 inches of snow fell at Gatwick around 5am this morning and the forecast is that another 5-6 inches will fall by this evening.

'Safety is obviously paramount and there's no way any plane will take off or land from the runway in current conditions. When we tried to clear it this morning, the snow was falling as quickly as we could clear it.'

Passengers who have arrived to travel are being advised to return home. Those who can't because of the weather are being offered 'blankets and refreshments'.

Passengers have been warned not to set out for the airport and are being advised to check with their airline for the latest information.

Eight planes were diverted from Gatwick to Luton overnight including four easyJet flights after snow forced the Surrey-based airport to close.

A spokesperson at Luton airport said: 'It's bitterly, bitterly cold here at Luton but we're fully operational.'

Heathrow airport is currently operating normally, although some airlines are experiencing cancellations and minor delays due to snow at other airports. Stansted airport is also operating normally.

Edinburgh airport is closed until at least 6pm this evening and Durham Tees Valley Airport will be closed until at least 12pm today.

Newcastle International Airport is open although significant snowfall has resulted in some disruption to flights. Passengers are being told to expect changes to scheduled arrivals and departures and to allow extra time when travelling to the airport.

At London City airport there are some delays but flights are taking off and landing. Most of the cancellations are due to adverse weather in other destinations.
Birmingham airport is open but several flights have been cancelled this morning.

Manchester airport was forced to close from 11pm until 1am for snow clearing and 15 planes were diverted to other airports with 11 of those later flying back to Manchester.

‘It’s all good in the hood,’ said a spokesperson in Manchester. ‘If the forecasts for today are correct then we shouldn’t have any more problems. In fact, we’ll be helping out the London airports who are having problems.’


A young boy tries to sleep on a freezing train which got stuck for six hours near Orpington in Kent


Meanwhile, commuters and families were stuck for more than five hours on a train from London to Sussex - then had to endure a half a mile walk through the snow to a station staff room, where they were still waiting to be rescued earlier today.

Scores more attempting to get home from London Bridge to Kent were stranded for six hours overnight after the train broke down near Orpington. They had to wrap themselves in layers of clothing to keep out the biting cold.

Benji Symes was onboard the Sussex-bound 10.23pm Southeastern train when the engine broke down half a mile from Sevenoaks in Kent.

He said carriages were left in total darkness until 3.30am.
'They tried several attempts to try re-boot the engine and even tried to get another train to try and tow us but nothing worked,' he said.

'In the end we had to form an evacuation and we had to walk half a mile or so up the track to Sevenoaks station.'


Big freeze: Trains remained stuck at Orpington station in Kent this morning after heavy snow


Misery on the rails: Two of the passengers stranded on the train from London Bridge to Kent


All trains from Victoria in London were cancelled, and there were angry scenes at other stations as thousands of commuters fought for places on the handful of trains which did make it out of the capital.

Others were forced to wait for hours or booked into hotels for the night.
There was gridlock on the M25, as London saw more breakdowns than any other part of the country, the AA said.

The Dartford Bridge was closed and traffic into Kent was halted by a jack-knifed lorry.


Nottinghamshire Police today urged motorists to use their vehicles only if absolutely necessary after heavy snowfall overnight caused gridlock in parts of the county.


Road conditions were said to be particularly bad in Huthwaite, near Mansfield, and a jackknifed lorry caused delays on the southbound A1 at Blyth in north Nottinghamshire.

Gatwick Airport was forced to close at 10.30pm last night and remains shut today, causing misery for hundreds of travellers hoping to escape from the earliest big freeze seen for years.

Airport spokeswoman Sarah Baranowski said ground staff working throughout the night had not been able to clear the settling snow.

'It is vital that passengers do not make their way to the airport and check our website and with their airline for updates,' she added.

'We need to make sure the runway is safe before all flights can recommence but the snow has not stopped all night.'

London City Airport had cancellations and delays this morning due to the severe weather.

All East Midlands Trains' services were affected by the icy conditions, with no trains able to run between Sheffield and Liverpool Lime Street because of poor weather conditions at Dore in Yorkshire.

Southeastern rail network also faced severe disruption and delays today.
Eurostar trains were running about an hour late.

Shops across Kent, including Bromley, West Wickham and Elmers End, were today running short on fresh goods such as milk as deliveries struggled to get through.
Daybreak People slept overnight on a train in Orping ton due to snow



Going nowhere: Heavy snow in Beckenham, Kent, last night brought commuters to a standstill


In the North dozens of drivers were forced to abandon their cars in snowdrifts and make their way home on foot last night.

As usual in a nation that seems to be caught out every year by the winter, chaos reigned in areas hit by even the lightest snowfalls, where un-gritted streets and sub-zero temperatures made driving impossible or treacherous.

From 10ft drifts in the far north of Scotland to ice on the beach along the normally mild south coast, thousands had tales of terror from the day the snow came.

Last night workers were earlier warned by Network Rail to begin their homeward journeys as soon as possible with colder weather and heavier snowfall expected through the night.

In angry scenes last night, passengers at Victoria remonstrated with station staff demanding more information.

One passenger, who asked not to be named, said: 'It was hellish. Every platform had a train on but they were going nowhere

'When we were finally allowed on one it was completely filled and arguments were breaking out everywhere. I cannot believe this is happening again.'

Just two weeks after Network Rail claimed it was prepared for the cold weather, rail customers were left furious as the 'sheer weight' of snow created severe train delays.


Frustration: Destination boards show no services running at Victoria Station as passengers are left stranded




Met Office snow forecasts for 12pm today, left, and 6pm today


A Network Rail spokesman said across the country 73 per cent of train services were operating to time yesterday, which was 'better than expected'.

He said: 'We are having major problems south of the Thames where the predominant power source for trains is an electrified third rail.

'The Southern line between East Croydon and Redhill is suspended due to a broken-down train and the South Eastern line between Grove Park and Orpington is also out causing massive problems at Victoria Station where both originate from.

'We will be working throughout the night to improve this situation and will have men out with broom sweeping the rails if necessary.

'Network Rail and the train operators are activating their full winter contingency plans with "ghost trains" running throughout the night to keep routes open, points heaters being checked and kept clear of snow and hundreds of workers braving sub-zero temperatures to man key strategic junctions to keep trains moving.'


Cancelled: Commuters arriving at East Croydon Station had to be monitored by police officers to prevent dangerous overcrowding


Gridlock: Severe delays were experienced by motorists near Junction 10 of the M25 in Surrey


The icy temperatures did not deter swimmers taking a dip in the Serpentine, however.
One brave soul stripped to trunks in London’s Hyde Park and dived into water that was only just above freezing yesterday.

Further north they had a different take on the festive fun. A group of secondary school children from Farnworth, near Bolton, were spotted walking, cycling and jumping on inch-thick ice covering a lake.

Few areas escaped without at least a dusting of snow. Worst hit was the East Coast, where northern areas were still trying to recover from heavy falls of the previous few days.

Forecasters warned the severe conditions were likely to last the rest of the week, with rain and sleet adding to the misery in some places.

So here’s a jolly way to pass the time as temperatures hit minus 15C in parts of Britain – get out there with your ruler.

The Met Office is inviting people to brave the elements across the nation to report the depth of snow in their area.

Weathermen even give handy hints on the correct way to gauge the depth, right down to making sure we hold the ruler vertically.

Figures are being used to create a ‘snow depth observations map’ for the Met Office web site. It uses data emailed exclusively by self-appointed depth monitors from Land’s End to the Shetland Isles.

For the last few days, results have been pouring in from across the country as hundreds of ruler-waving amateur meteorologists respond to the appeal.

Many record snow as little as a millimetre deep, which would barely cover a matchstick. Other results appeared to be startlingly at odds with official figures for particular areas, suggesting that some might have ignored advice not to stick their ruler in a snowdrift.

The Met Office masterstroke to utilise public resources has produced a map that shows – guess what – it has been snowing practically everywhere in Britain.

Alas, the monitoring exercise appears to be about as useful as a snowman in a sauna. A website disclaimer says results ‘should not be used for operational decision making’.


source: dailymail