Heavy Snow Is Followed By Ice

People are battling with treacherous conditions after sub-zero temperatures followed days of heavy snow to leave icy roads and pavements across the UK. Thousands of schools remain shut and transport disruption continues. UK-wide severe weather warnings of ice are in place, with temperatures staying near freezing. Temperatures fell to -18C overnight in places and the Arctic conditions are expected to continue for up to a week. Some 20,000 people have been affected by power cuts in Hampshire. Meanwhile up to 5,000 homes in Sussex, Kent and Surrey were without electricity overnight. All the major airports affected by snow on Tuesday, including Gatwick, Luton, Birmingham and Cardiff, are operating normally but passengers have been warned to expect delays. Jersey Airport is closed until at least 0900 GMT. Budget airline Easyjet has cancelled nearly 70 flights on Thursday, most of them at Gatwick. British Airways has also cancelled some flights, and warned of delays at both Heathrow and Gatwick. On the railways, South West Trains and Chiltern Railways said they were hoping to run a normal service but East Coast has advised passengers not to travel to destinations between Perth and Inverness. Several councils around the country are starting to limit which roads are being gritted, as salt supplies run low.