Extreme Weather makes Travel Chaos in UK
The extremely heavy snow and icy weather hitting the UK has done more than interrupt travel, with thousands of flights, rail routes, roads, schools and business either being delayed or closed. The worst seems to be over though, but there are still severe weather warnings in effect for the southern part of Britain.
The Met Office said on Wednesday that a majority of the snowfall was confined to southern and southeast England. Airline and rail services were disrupted on routes to and from the capital, and the Highways Agency warned of tough driving conditions on roadways, which prevented buses from running their timetable.
EasyJet, British Airways, Ryanair, Lufthansa and Virgin Atlantic were among only a few airlines that had to delay and cancel hundreds of flights due to the massive snowfall and icy conditions. Rail services were also greatly disturbed, with National Rail, CrossCountry, Eurostar and more reporting delays and cancellations as well.
The UK Army and fire brigade were even called in to rescue up to 1,000 drivers that were trapped on A3, according to police sergeant Tim Lucas. He said that they were trying to release them, but the snow continued to fall. About 100 motorists were taken in by rescue centers overnight.
Subways also had their fair share of delays on Wednesday, but since most of the lines are underground, they were able to run good services. There were minor delays on the Bakerloo and Metropolitan lines, while severe delays were seen on the Piccadilly Line, as parts of these are run above ground.
Met Office meteorologist Dave Britton said that nearly the whole country was covered in snow by the severe weather, and it will take a while for it all to thaw out. He also noted that this is the longest spell of wintry weather the nation has seen since 1981.