Roads and runways seize up in the freeze as heavy snow plunges Britain into chaos

By Jaya Narain for MailOnline and Sophie Freeman
Updated: 06:50 EST, 21 December 2009

Britain faced more transport misery today as heavy snow and freezing temperatures created havoc on roads, runways and rail networks.

Overnight blizzards and freezing temperatures caused chaos for travellers as far apart as Scotland and Kent, with the AA describing many roads as 'treacherous ice rinks'.

The big freeze also disrupted flights from many of the UK's airports.

Delays: An airport worker de-ices an outbound American Airlines flight, after Manchester International Airport reopened after an hour's closure

In Manchester, airport staff began attempting to clear a lengthy backlog of delays this morning after they were forced to close a runway yesterday because of a blizzard.

Several hundred passengers were left stranded overnight as staff battled to clear the snow and ice using gallons of anti-icing fluid on the frozen surface.

About 12 flights per hour were leaving the airport from early morning as opposed to the normal working capacity of up to 40 flights, airport officials said.

At Gatwick and Heathrow airports, flights from America were arriving several hours behind schedule today, although Luton Airport, which was shut for several hours on Friday, was operating normally, but with some delays.

In Scotland, forecasters warned there would be no escape from the snow today as blizzards continued to strike much of the country.

Glasgow and Edinburgh airports were open but some delays were expected, while Aberdeen's runway reopened shortly after 9am.

Heavy snowfall caused havoc on the country's major roads, with treacherous driving conditions and a spate of accidents leading to traffic gridlock in some parts.

Forecasters said western and northern areas of Scotland were expected to see the heaviest snow.

Across Britain, accidents added to the difficulties of motorists trying to negotiate roads covered in snow and ice.

A jack-knifed lorry led to a lane closure on the M6 in Lancashire and another accident resulted in two lanes of the same motorway in Cumbria being closed.

It came after another jackknifed lorry spilled 50 gallons of diesel on to a carriageway in the North East yesterday.

AA president Edmund King said: 'Many minor roads are treacherous - they're like ice rinks - with numerous shunts and cars stuck in ditches.'

Almost ready for take-off: A snowplough clears a runway at Schiphol Amsterdam airport, where many flights were delayed

In County Durham, the ambulance service said its crews had difficulty responding to emergency calls because main roads were not gritted in the heavy snow.

Members of the public stopped to help a stricken ambulance that was stuck in snow at Stanley on Saturday evening and motorists helped to push another vehicle up a road in Binchester when it got stuck in icy conditions the same night.

In some of the worst affected areas, only 33 per cent of life-threatening calls were responded to within eight minutes - less than half the required target of 75 per cent.

Volunteer services from the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance were called to support the North East Ambulance Service and control room staff in Newcastle worked beyond their normal hours to deal with a 100 per cent increase in the number of emergency calls received.

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said skidding on ice was the main concern for those driving in freezing conditions.

The road safety charity advised motorists to double or even triple their normal stopping distance from the vehicle in front and plan their journey around busier roads as they are more likely to have been gritted.

Peter Rodger, IAM chief examiner, said: 'When driving in snow, get your speed right - not too fast so that you risk losing control, but not so slow that you risk losing momentum when you need it - and brake, steer and accelerate as smoothly as possible.

'Start gently from stationary, avoiding high revs. If you get yourself into a skid the main thing to remember is to take your foot off the accelerator and steer, never use the brake.'

The IAM is also urging people to prepare well for their journey, check the weather in advance and make sure they have an emergency kit, including a torch, food for energy, water and a blanket, in case of breakdown.

Not all fun and games: People have been enjoying the snow while others have come into difficulty

Domestic rail services have also been hit by the extreme weather today.

Broken down trains led to rail disruption between Hebden Bridge and Blackburn and buses had to replace trains between Guildford and Effingham Junction in Surrey. There were also delays to services between London and Milton Keynes Central in Buckinghamshire.

London Midland services between London and Tring in Hertfordshire were cancelled and there were delays to Virgin West Coast trains.

Poor conditions in the Ashford area of Kent led to delays of up to an hour, while passengers travelling with the Southern train company had to use buses rather than trains between Horsham and Littlehampton in West Sussex and between Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, Chichester and Havant.

In Kent, buses replaced trains between Sittingbourne and Sheerness-on-Sea and between Tonbridge and Hastings.

At sea, a British fisherman was feared dead today after a trawler collided with another vessel and sank in the English Channel.

The trawlerman was thrown into the sea with several crew members when their ship went down off the coast of Cherbourg in France after hitting an unidentified craft at 7.25pm last night.

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the boat is registered to Teignmouth in Devon, where all the crew live.

Further north, a couple in the 60s were criticised by coastguards after they sailed out in appalling conditions and had to be rescued.

Dreaming of a white Christmas: Odds for snow on Friday have been slashed by bookmakers

The couple’s 30ft cruiser broke down near the mouth of the River Humber, East Yorkshire, on Saturday night and went adrift.

The unnamed couple, who narrowly escaped being swept out further to sea, had bought the boat that day and were taking it to London via Lowestoft.

Mario Siano, from Yarmouth Coastguard, said: ‘I don’t think they realised how dangerous the situation was that they were in. At one stage it seemed so unbelievable I thought we were dealing with a hoax.’

The couple are said to be recovering from hypothermia.

Fears were also growing today for a young man who has not been seen since disappearing after a night out in freezing weather.

Adam Passfield, 22, was last seen at 3am on Saturday morning in Chelmsford, Essex.

Essex police said that officers, family and friends have been trying to contact Mr Passfield on his mobile telephone, but without response.

Yesterday, marine unit officers started to scour the River Chelmer which flows through the town centre. Police also began searching gardens and outbuildings.

A mother of two died in a car crash on a snowy road shortly after watching her four-year-old son perform in a nativity play. Marina Raimondi, 30, from the Bedale area of North Yorkshire, collided with another car near the village of Great Smeaton on Thursday.

Many in the North were expected to wake up to a blanket of snow, freezing fog and ice this morning.

The conditions caused the odds of a white Christmas to be slashed. Forecasters predict the cold snap could last until the end of the week, possibly giving us the first official white Christmas since 2004.

William Hill is offering 2/1 that it will snow on Christmas Day in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow and 5/4 for Aberdeen. The bookmaker also received the largest ever White Christmas bet from a customer in Derbyshire, who staked £1,700 that it will snow in Aberdeen, Cardiff and London.

If it does, he will collect £14,700 – a record payout on such a bet. Ladbrokes are offering the shortest ever odds of a white Christmas in London at 11/8, eclipsing the 6/4 they quoted in 1999.