Winter storm shuts down transportation services across Britain

Both Gatwick and London City airports were shut down for part of Sunday evening while runways were de-iced. Stansted airport was forced to close its runway due to heavy snows.

Twenty-three flights were cancelled at Gatwick airport and another 18 diverted to other airports due to the weather, which also affect several BA and easyJet flights scheduled to land at Edinburgh and Heathrow on Sunday night.

Flights scheduled to arrive at London City Airport were diverted to either Heathrow or Luton.

Many rail services connecting the south coast with London were delayed or cancelled as snow built up on the tracks.

In Kent, one junction of the M20 in the London direction was closed to traffic due to treacherous driving conditions.

Snow ploughs and gritters were out in force as the UK began to experience what was predicted to be a “significant and disruptive” amount of snow.

Snowfall of up to 20cms was forecast for some areas, as icy wind and heavy snow blew in from Russia. Areas expected to be the hardest hit are the south-east of England and the Pennines -  but heavy snow was forecast for most of the UK for a 48 hour period.

On Monday, snow is forecast for most of Scotland, after overnight temperatures drop as low as -1C.

www.gatwickairport.com