Heavy snow has caused widespread disruption across many roads and runways, as one passenger said there was chaos at Luton Airport as flights were suspended temporarily.
Across parts of England and Wales the Met Office predicted up to 10cm was expected to build up, with 15-20cm in some spots, raising the prospect of roads becoming impassable.
Claire Hughes was due to fly to Jerusalem on a three-day trip when the adverse weather conditions saw her flight grounded and eventually cancelled.
Weather warnings amid winter snow
She told the Press Association: “We were on the plane for three hours, we had the nicest captain I have ever had.
“He was constantly trying to tell us what was going on, but it (the snow) has just caused chaos.”
She said their flight was due to leave at 7.15am and that as they drove to the airport from Woodford, London, it started to snow but “it wasn’t too bad”.
“It looked like the flight was still going to go on time… then they said it was going to be delayed by about half an hour,” she said.
“Once we got on the plane they said they were clearing the runway, then it just went from bad to worse.
“They even de-iced all the plane… but evidently every time they tried to clear the runway it was just getting heavier and heavier and there was nothing they could do.”
She said those on the grounded planes could not be moved inside due to a power cut in the terminal.
She added that once this issue was sorted there were about 1,000 passengers grouped together who were unsure what was happening.
“It was carnage up there, there were people pushing… just no one really knew what they are doing and (there was) just one easyJet woman trying to take charge,” she added, as she collected her baggage and headed for home.
Both road and air travel have been affected by the heavy snow. Here are some of the closures:
Luton Airport – warnings of flight delays and cancellations were issued by the Bedfordshire transport hub on Sunday morning. All flights were suspended temporarily at the airport which re-opened to departing flights only at 11.30am. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines directly before flying and leave extra time to reach the airport.
Birmingham Airport – flights were suspended temporarily on Sunday morning after heavy snowfall closed the runway. Passengers had been advised to check birminghamairport.co.uk for updates or contact their airline for further information.
The M1 northbound was stopped between junction 16 and junction 17 due to “numerous breakdowns/collisions”.
The A5 in Shropshire was closed into both directions due to “severe weather and road conditions in the area”.
The M40 outside Warwick was closed due to a multiple-vehicle collision between junction 15 and Junction 16. It is expected to reopen once ploughed.
The A417 in Gloucestershire was closed in both directions between the A429 and A436 due to “multiple separate collisions”.