Heavy snow across UK predicted as severe weather warnings issued and freezing conditions block roads and close airports
Britain faces further travel chaos today as forecasters predict more heavy snow across the country, with the UK's second largest airport, Gatwick, warning that it might be forced to close.
Some parts of England are expected to be hit with between 25-30cm of fresh snow, just as many up and down the country begin the big Christmas getaway. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings with "heavy snow" across the UK.
The government was forced to deny there was a heating oil crisis yesterday as freezing conditions gripped the country again, closing almost 2,000 schools and causing flights and trains to be cancelled and long tailbacks on motorways. The AA said callouts were running at 1,500 an hour, 50% higher than normal, as temperatures plunged to as low as -6C and roads became treacherous.
Several casualties were reported on the roads. One man, in his 30s, whose Mini car collided with a lorry in poor weather conditions, died after the ambulance taking him to hospital crashed into a bush in Ninfield, East Sussex.
Meanwhile EasyJet said last night that it had suspended flights between 6am and 10am, coinciding with an expected snowstorm. Earlier this month, Gatwick was shut for 48 hours after suffering similar levels of snowfall, forcing the airport to order more snow-clearing equipment. A spokeswoman for Gatwick said the airport would make a decision today on whether to close. "We are monitoring the weather situation and we will respond when the first snows fall. If it is the high volumes that the forecasters are talking about, we will have to shut the runway."
British Airways cancelled most short-haul flights yesterday evening and said it would reassess services this morning.
A spokesman said many passengers had been put up in hotels overnight as they waited for the next available flights.
Virgin Atlantic cancelled at least one flight out of Gatwick today.
BAA said Heathrow had been fully operational yesterday but said there had been significant delays at terminal five and advised passengers travelling this weekend to check with their airline before setting off.
The latest blizzard comes as the review into the response to this month's weather chaos is to be published. In the report on Tuesday, David Quarmby, chairman of the RAC Foundation who is leading the review, is expected to highlight the paucity of information given to rail passengers, including thousands of commuters in south-east England who experienced disruption on the Southern and Southeastern franchises.
Scotland and Northern Ireland were hit by heavy snow overnight on Thursday and the Met Office put severe weather warnings for similar conditions in place for Wales and south-west England. Motorists were warned that almost no area of Britain will escape potentially lethal driving conditions, with black ice posing a deadly threat, according to AA spokesman Peter Barnao. "There is potentially no area that's completely safe or free of ice," he said.
With many schools breaking up yesterday, the Christmas getaway – in which 18m cars are expected to take to the roads – will be hit by train delays, road closures and extreme conditions.
Aberdeen, Norwich and Belfast airports all suspended flights, while at least 800 schools were closed in Wales, 600 in Northern Ireland and more than 500 in Scotland. The icy blizzards and freezing temperatures yesterday caused major disruption, with police in the Scottish Highlands warning commuters not to travel. Heavy falls around Aberdeen left traffic at a standstill, with four-mile journeys taking up to four hours.
A section of the M2 in Northern Ireland was closed due to heavy snow. In England, a series of accidents on main roads led to tailbacks and lane closures. There were holdups on the A14 in Cambridgeshire, the M40 in Buckinghamshire, the A20 in Kent and the A12 in Suffolk.
The conditions could also lead to Christmas presents going undelivered. "This year in Scotland and the north-east, it is likely Father Christmas won't be coming," said Simon Veale, director of Global Freight Solutions, a parcel and carrier management firm. "There are likely to be more than 4m new parcels in the system every day this week on top of several million more which still had to be cleared from the recent extreme weather."
Online retailer Amazon put a notice on its website warning: "Adverse weather is impacting deliveries across the country."
Network Rail was running "ghost trains" to try to keep routes open and the local government association said council gritting crews were out in force. Bookmakers have slashed the odds of a white Christmas, with William Hill offering 6-4 for snow in London on 25 December.
Downing Street was forced to respond to reports that heating oil might need to be rationed over the winter because of rocketing prices and restricted deliveries, admitting there was a problem moving it around the country.
The energy minister, Charles Hendry, sparked alarm on Thursday when he warned the House of Commons that the situation could become "very serious" if there was further snow over the Christmas period. Thousands of public buildings and 660,000 homes rely on oil for heating and Hendry said some had been told supplies would not be available for four weeks.
But David Cameron's spokesman yesterday said he did not think that would happen. "The position at the moment is that there is sufficient fuel," he said. "The problem is getting it around the country. We have been doing things to try to ease the situation, for example relaxing rules on driving time [for lorries]."
Suppliers have faced allegations of price-fixing as oil prices in the past month have jumped from under 40p a litre to more than 70p in some cases.
"We are extremely aware that if there is further snow over Christmas, this situation could become very serious indeed," Hendry said.
The transport secretary, Philip Hammond, reassured airport operators yesterday that his department would attempt to prevent the stocks of runway de-icing liquid from running low. The owners of Britain's main airports told Hammond that a combination of snow-clogged roads and Christmas holidays at de-icing manufacturers had threatened to cause a shortage during last winter's cold spell.
An airport industry source said: "Operators raised concerns that during the last big freeze, de-icer supplies ran to critically low levels because there were problems with transport and deliveries, exacerbated by the fact that manufacturers closed down for Christmas. That caused a severe shortage in the new year."
Hammond said he would contact de-icing manufacturers if necessary over Christmas to ensure adequate supplies.
Specialist de-icing liquid is vital for airports because conventional rock salt is not suitable to grit landing strips with. Supplies can run low very quickly, with severe winter weather sometimes requiring up to three times the usual amount in a day.
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