Heavy Cold Weather Grips Europe

Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures are causing another day of disruption to northern Europe's transport network.

Severe flight delays were reported at airports in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Paris Orly.

Eurostar trains from France faced cancellations or delays while snowfalls trapped hundreds of motorists in Brittany and Normandy.

In Belgium, 650km of traffic jams were reported, with Flanders hit hard. Snow also affected the UK, where Gatwick airport was closed and some rail services in the south were cut.

Freezing conditions will continue for days as the low-pressure front centred over western Europe moves slowly eastward.

'We've got unusually cold air over large parts of the eastern Atlantic, and where that meets warm air coming for example from the Mediterranean you have a lot of snow,' said Heinz Maurer of Meteosuisse, the Swiss national weather service.

He predicted that snowfall would ease in central Europe during the day. Temperatures dropped to as low as -26C (-14.8F) in Poland last Wednesday, where eight people died of exposure. Five others died in central Europe and two in the UK.

Geneva airport reopened yesterday morning, but was advising that passengers arrive a full two hours before the departure time and use public transport to avoid traffic problems on the roads.

In the UK, Gatwick delayed opening until at least 0600 GMT on Friday, further stranding about 600 flights that were scheduled to leave last Wednesday.

It was also expected to be another day of delays and cancellations on rail services across Europe, and of widespread problems on roads.

Just after 0900 (0800 GMT), Belgium registered 587km of traffic jams on its motorways, Le Soir newspaper reports.

— BBC