Second heavy snowfall hits Britain and Ireland

This week’s second heavy snowfall in Britain caused major travel disruptions again on Thursday, and in Ireland, airports and roads experience shut-downs due to the weather as well.

In central England, Birmingham and East Midlands airports reported numerous cancelled flights as did Luton Airport, north of London, and Dublin Airport in the Irish Republic. Officials at all these airports said they were struggling to keep runways cleared of ice and snow.

Rail operators were reporting delays on routes between London and western England and Wales, after four inches of new snow fell overnight in areas including western and central England and south Wales.

London, still recovering from its heaviest snows in 18 years, saw rain late on Thursday. Earlier in the week, schools were closed, public transport was mostly shut down and millions of workers were forced to stay away at home.

Forecasters with the Met Office have predicted more heavy snows on Friday in both London and parts of southern England, which will likely mean more disruptions in travel.

The Dublin Airport Authority reported that over 170 flights were cancelled on Thursday due to weather conditions, but planned to reopen on Friday.

Heavy wet snow fell during the rush hour on Thursday evening in Dublin, bringing traffic to a halt and seeing some motorists driving to city hotels rather than making the trip home.

www.metoffice.gov.uk