Heavy snow is falling across much of
the UK, disrupting flights and leading to calls for drivers to take more
care.
Snow hit southern Scotland and parts of Wales before moving south-east
through England.
Met Office severe weather warnings remain in place across the UK.
Forecasters expect 5-10cm (2-4in) to fall in central, eastern and southern
England, leaving icy roads on Sunday.
Luton airport in Beds has closed its runway due to snow while Heathrow is
cancelling some Sunday flights.
Heathrow operator BAA said one-third of Sunday's approximate 1,200 flights
would be cancelled.
There were some delays on Saturday night due to
visibility problems.
On the roads, police said as many as 100 vehicles were stationary on the M40
between Junction 4 High Wycombe and Junction 9 Bicester for several hours,
however traffic is now starting to clear as the snow is easing off.
Traffic is slow moving on the M25 between J18 Chorleywood and J19 Watford
because of snow.
In other developments on Saturday:
North West Ambulance Service asked
people to stay indoors following an increase in fall-related 999 calls
There were warnings of icy roads after 5cm of snow fell in parts of
Scotland
In Wales, treacherous driving conditions were reported
in the Brecon Beacons and heads of valleys
Transport for London prepared
gritters to put more than 10,000 tonnes of salt on the capital's roads
Saturday's football programme was badly
disrupted
The sea froze in places, including Dorset's
Sandbanks resort
The AA warned motorists to
pack shovels, warm clothes, snacks and fully charged phones
Heathrow's chief operating officer Normand Boivin said the decision to
introduce a revised flight schedule before snow had fallen was taken in an
effort to minimise disruption to passengers.
Richard Scott, from BAA, later said because Heathrow runs at capacity, there
was no slack in the system to deal with the reduced number of flights that can
take off and land in bad weather.
He added: "If you can imagine you're driving, you have to drive slower, leave
more space for the car in front in fog, strong winds, snow. It's the same with
aircraft.
"If we don't proactively cancel flights, the delays build and build and build
and it's much worse for passengers."
Flights have been diverted from Luton airport and three departing flights
have been cancelled.
Stansted airport in Essex closed on Saturday night for a period to clear snow
from its runway while Birmingham Airport said it was clearing snow from the
airfield and runway.
Leeds Bradford Airport remains open but has warned of delays or
cancellations.
On the London Underground, the weather caused the entire Jubilee Line to be
suspended and parts of the Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines were
suspended.
the UK, disrupting flights and leading to calls for drivers to take more
care.
Snow hit southern Scotland and parts of Wales before moving south-east
through England.
Met Office severe weather warnings remain in place across the UK.
Forecasters expect 5-10cm (2-4in) to fall in central, eastern and southern
England, leaving icy roads on Sunday.
Luton airport in Beds has closed its runway due to snow while Heathrow is
cancelling some Sunday flights.
Heathrow operator BAA said one-third of Sunday's approximate 1,200 flights
would be cancelled.
There were some delays on Saturday night due to
visibility problems.
On the roads, police said as many as 100 vehicles were stationary on the M40
between Junction 4 High Wycombe and Junction 9 Bicester for several hours,
however traffic is now starting to clear as the snow is easing off.
Traffic is slow moving on the M25 between J18 Chorleywood and J19 Watford
because of snow.
In other developments on Saturday:
North West Ambulance Service asked
people to stay indoors following an increase in fall-related 999 calls
There were warnings of icy roads after 5cm of snow fell in parts of
Scotland
In Wales, treacherous driving conditions were reported
in the Brecon Beacons and heads of valleys
Transport for London prepared
gritters to put more than 10,000 tonnes of salt on the capital's roads
Saturday's football programme was badly
disrupted
The sea froze in places, including Dorset's
Sandbanks resort
The AA warned motorists to
pack shovels, warm clothes, snacks and fully charged phones
Heathrow's chief operating officer Normand Boivin said the decision to
introduce a revised flight schedule before snow had fallen was taken in an
effort to minimise disruption to passengers.
Richard Scott, from BAA, later said because Heathrow runs at capacity, there
was no slack in the system to deal with the reduced number of flights that can
take off and land in bad weather.
He added: "If you can imagine you're driving, you have to drive slower, leave
more space for the car in front in fog, strong winds, snow. It's the same with
aircraft.
"If we don't proactively cancel flights, the delays build and build and build
and it's much worse for passengers."
Flights have been diverted from Luton airport and three departing flights
have been cancelled.
Stansted airport in Essex closed on Saturday night for a period to clear snow
from its runway while Birmingham Airport said it was clearing snow from the
airfield and runway.
Leeds Bradford Airport remains open but has warned of delays or
cancellations.
On the London Underground, the weather caused the entire Jubilee Line to be
suspended and parts of the Metropolitan, Northern and Piccadilly lines were
suspended.
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