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| England in grip of severe weather | England in grip of severe weather |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Snow has fallen across large parts of England, leading to warnings of travel chaos and the closure of hundreds of schools. | Snow has fallen across large parts of England, leading to warnings of travel chaos and the closure of hundreds of schools. |
| The problems began in the early hours with southern areas and the Midlands particularly badly affected. Further heavy falls are predicted. | The problems began in the early hours with southern areas and the Midlands particularly badly affected. Further heavy falls are predicted. |
| Some airports were closed in the morning and motorists are being warned to expect bad conditions. | Some airports were closed in the morning and motorists are being warned to expect bad conditions. |
| Gritters have been out and drivers told not to travel unless it is essential. | Gritters have been out and drivers told not to travel unless it is essential. |
| The Highways Agency has been working through the night to grit motorways and major trunk roads and is continuing to work to keep those roads open Highways Agency statement The blanket of snow stretched from the south of England to the Midlands and reached up to Lancashire and across to the Humber. | |
| Some hilly areas are likely to receive up to 6in (15cm) of snow during the day, the BBC Weather Centre said. | |
| And it forecast that overnight temperatures would fall to as low as -3C (26F), with a chance of ice forming. | |
| A Highways Agency spokesman said that generally there had been the usual number of incidents on the roads as drivers made their way to work. | A Highways Agency spokesman said that generally there had been the usual number of incidents on the roads as drivers made their way to work. |
| class="" href="/1/hi/education/6341939.stm">Snow forces school closures In a statement it said: "The Highways Agency has been working through the night to grit motorways and major trunk roads and is continuing to work to keep those roads open." | |
| The agency has 400 salt-spreading vehicles on stand-by. | The agency has 400 salt-spreading vehicles on stand-by. |
| A lorry jack-knifed on the A3 at Hindhead, Surrey, on Thursday morning causing a small stretch of the A3 to close southbound. | |
| Essex police said they had been called to more than 150 incidents across the county, and Kent police warned that rural routes and side roads had been affected by snow. | Essex police said they had been called to more than 150 incidents across the county, and Kent police warned that rural routes and side roads had been affected by snow. |
| A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said 19 snow-related road accidents were reported between 0400 GMT and 0900 GMT, but none were serious. | |
| The A36 near Salisbury was closed for a short time while a trapped driver was removed from his vehicle. | The A36 near Salisbury was closed for a short time while a trapped driver was removed from his vehicle. |
| Rail delays | Rail delays |
| Thousands of airline passengers had their flights delayed or cancelled on Thursday. | |
| Passengers were advised to check with their airlines for advice on what to do. | |
| All flights from Luton Airport were suspended in the morning, but began again after 1230 GMT. | |
| A spokesman said: "The weather is improving and things are starting to move now." | A spokesman said: "The weather is improving and things are starting to move now." |
| The runway at Stansted Airport was closed just after 0600 GMT as more than half a million square metres of snow needed to be cleared. | The runway at Stansted Airport was closed just after 0600 GMT as more than half a million square metres of snow needed to be cleared. |
| It reopened at 1100 GMT and ground teams are now working to clear the backlog of flights. | It reopened at 1100 GMT and ground teams are now working to clear the backlog of flights. |
| Snow has been falling in Worcester since the early hours | Snow has been falling in Worcester since the early hours |
| Gatwick Airport's runway was shut briefly and about 20 flights were cancelled. | Gatwick Airport's runway was shut briefly and about 20 flights were cancelled. |
| On the railways, Network Rail said all routes were open, but services were running with delays. | On the railways, Network Rail said all routes were open, but services were running with delays. |
| Virgin Trains operated an amended timetable on services into and out of London Euston. | Virgin Trains operated an amended timetable on services into and out of London Euston. |
| It said it would run hourly services to each of its major destinations, with journey times likely to be extended. | It said it would run hourly services to each of its major destinations, with journey times likely to be extended. |
| Train services run by South West Trains and Southern into London and First Great Western to Gatwick Airport were among those cancelled or disrupted. | Train services run by South West Trains and Southern into London and First Great Western to Gatwick Airport were among those cancelled or disrupted. |
| London's Tube services were also affected. | London's Tube services were also affected. |