-Caveat Lector- Print this article | Close this window Cold chokes Europe By Caroline Davies February 2 2003
Much of western Europe lies under a blanket of white after exceptionally heavy snowfalls and black ice blocked roads and held up air and rail traffic. Snow and heavy winds brought travel chaos to many parts of southern England, leaving rail, road and air passengers stranded. The French were digging out from the heaviest snow in four years as wintry weather brought chaos to roads and more snow was forecast for this weekend. A cold snap gripped much of Spain as well, severely hampering road and rail traffic. In England, Stansted Airport north-east of London was forced to close on Friday after staff had difficulty getting to work, a spokesman said. Airport operator BAA said London's Heathrow Airport was experiencing "considerable disruption" because of the weather, adding that 140 flights had been cancelled by mid-afternoon. British Airways cancelled 44 short- haul flights and 19 long-haul flights out of Heathrow on Friday, with a further seven take-offs out of London's Gatwick halted. The London Underground network, already facing chaos after a train derailment closed two lines, suffered even greater disruption from snow on the tracks. Main line services to and from the capital were also heavily delayed. Many motorists were forced to spend the night in their cars after becoming stranded. Others abandoned their vehicles, causing problems for emergency workers. The Eurostar high-speed rail link between London and Brussels was also badly disrupted by snow in southern England, a Belgian rail spokesman said. Several trains were delayed and at least two had been cancelled. In central France, more than 1000 motorists were stranded for several hours overnight on a motorway after snow left about 250 trucks stuck and blocking traffic, officials said. A road linking France with Spain through Biriatou in the Pyrenees mountains was closed to trucks, officials said. Avalanches closed the nearby Somport pass and tunnel. Several hundred trucks heading for Spain have been blocked in south- western France, between Biriatou and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, since early Friday. The cold snap also swept through Spain, with snow driven by high winds blocking roads and disrupting rail traffic. Some 220 mountain villages were cut off. Several main roads and a major highway into Madrid ground to a halt for several hours yesterday, while the rail link between Santander and Palencia in the north was cut overnight. Also in the north, winds tipped over a crane in the town of Torrelavega, while in the tiny mountain principality of Andorra, 20 children were trapped inside their school overnight and residents were evacuated. In the north-western Castilla and Leon region, 16,000 pupils stayed home from school. This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/02/01/1043804574780.html Forwarded for your information. 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