Anger as rail firm cancels dozens of trains after less than an inch of snow falls while commuters face freezing conditions on way home
- Rail company Greater Anglia branded an 'embarrassment' by campaigners
- Cold weather takes hold of all UK with snow falling in almost every area
- Travel chaos as bad weather sits over Scotland, east England and London
- Met Office says its weather warning level is one below national emergency
- Roads and airports affected and ask that travellers take extra time
- 10-car pile-up on the M4 into London while other roads are closed
- Trains from London to East Anglia disrupted - 60mph limit imposed
- Rescue firms dealing with thousands more call outs today than usual
By MARTIN ROBINSON and MARK DUELL
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Rail company Greater Anglia was today branded an ‘embarrassment’ by train campaigners for cancelling services and imposing speed restrictions - after less than an inch of snow had fallen.
It cancelled 24 trains and passengers endured 30-minute delays as speeds were cut to 60mph on some services between London and Cambridge, Southend, Colchester, Ipswich and Norwich.
The disruption came as it was revealed overnight temperatures could drop to as low as -8C in the countryside - and -3C in urban areas - while more snow is expected for eastern parts of England.
Greater Anglia, which acted at lunchtime after 0.8 inches of snow fell, with another two inches due later, insisted most services were running - and snow may damage engines and trackside equipment.
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Treacherous: Drivers on the M11 in Essex were forced to drive slowly as the snow turned into a blizzard today
Dangerous: Snow and ice conditions resulted in a car coming off the road on the A635 through Saddleworth Moor
Disruption: High speed rail service to St Pancras arrives at snow covered Broadstairs station. Some services across the country were delayed or cancelled because of the bad weather - but not this one
From above: This is a spectacular aerial image of an area of the Yorkshire Dales blanketed in snow today
Thrill: Evie Wilcox enjoys the snow in Nottingham today - the area of Britain that has had the most so far today
Beautiful: Dog walkers and joggers wrapped up warm today along the banks of the River Cam near Cambridge
Bruce Williamson, a spokesman for campaign group Railfuture, said: ‘Any train should be able to cope with a little bit of snow, so this is an embarrassment for Greater Anglia.
'It illustrates the way the UK is not geared up for snow compared to other European countries.
‘Greater Anglia is being cautious, but we’re sceptical of the argument that snow could damage trackside equipment, as it would have to be a large chunk of snow to do that.
‘It would cost billions to snow-proof the UK rail network, but passengers wouldn’t want to pay for that - so the choice is either get their slowly or risk the train breaking down.’
But a Greater Anglia spokesman said: ‘Speed restrictions reduce the risk of snow being drawn into electric motors, which can cause damage when it melts, and prevent the build-up of snow and ice on underside of trains, which can damage tracks or signals when it falls from the train.
‘Speed restrictions are a preventative measure so we can run as run as robust as service as possible.’
Cleared for lift-off: A member of the ground staff clears snow from a C-17 cargo aircraft at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Britain is lending two C-17 aircraft for logistical support to French forces who have deployed to Mali to fight Islamist rebels
Winter wonder: Two-year-old Carmela enjoys her first sledging experience on hilly Chevin Golf Club in Derbyshire
Pretty: MailOnline reader Jacob Kent-Ledger from St Albans, Hertfordshire, sent us this beautiful picture. You can email us your photos to: mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk. Please include where they were taken
Having fun: Nick Bonham (right in left) and Ryley Bentley (left in left) from Anstey, Leicester, sledge at Bradgate Park, while Luke Kent (top in right) and Darcie-Mae Montgomerie (bottom in right) did the same
Walk in the park: This picture postcard scene was taken today in Thornton Dale, North Yorkshire
Keeping the runway open: Snow ploughs in action clearing the runway of snow and ice at Newcastle Airport
She added: 'The vast majority of our services are running normally. We run over 1,900 train services a day and today we've cancelled 24 because of the winter weather.
'We would stress that the vast majority of our services are running normally and in taking these precautionary measures, we can minimise the effect of any possible disruption to our train fleet caused by damage to the electric motors.
'These positive actions will help to ensure that we can continue to provide customers with the best possible and reliable service this winter.'
The spokesman said the reliability and punctuality of Greater Anglia train services has improved over the past year - and added that the previous franchise operator on the route suffered problems with trains two winters ago because of electric motor faults.
'The actions we're taking will help to avoid that and minimise disruption for our customers,' she said.
The heaviest snow for several years is falling today and almost every part of Britain will be hit, with forecasters predicting the freezing conditions are only going to get worse.
Up to four inches will fall in places, making roads treacherous, and Newcastle, Leeds Bradford, Southampton and Luton airports say that flights are being disrupted.
Forecasters have issued severe weather warnings for most of the UK - and snow is currently running from eastern Scotland, down through eastern and central England and into London, causing chaos.
Stark beauty: The sun sets on the snow-coated Chevin in Derbyshire
Winter woollens: Sheep frolic in the Derbyshire countryside just after the snow has settled
Iconic: People enjoy the beautiful scene at the famous Angel of the North statue in Gateshead, after heavy snowfall today
Predictions: This weather map shows a distinct and powerful band of snow running right through the UK today
This bad weather could be the start of up to three weeks of freezing conditions, with Britain likely to be colder than Lapland by Wednesday.
Temperatures could hit -14 this week in Britain's coldest parts, while Utsjoki, in the Finnish part of Lapland, will be at around -5.
The heaviest overnight snowfall was in Nottingham, across the Pennines and parts of Scotland.
Some schools in the East Midlands, particularly in Leicestershire and Rutland, were closed this morning.
Eddy Carroll, Met Office Chief Forecaster, said: 'We expect snow to affect many eastern parts of the UK over the next day or so leading to some disruption.
'With some very low temperatures over the next few nights we also expect ice in many places and people should be prepared for travel problems.'
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Winding: After heavy snowfall earlier today, a snow plough makes its way up Winnats Pass near Castleton, in the Derbyshire Peak District
Gorgeous: Dozens of deer crowd together in the heavy snow at Studley Royal in North Yorkshire, Britain
'The cold weather looks like it will run to the end of the week,' a Met Office spokesman added to MailOnline.
'But it is a high pressure from Scandinavia, which means it will be mostly cold and dry, and probably not too much snow after today.'
The RAC rushed 40 4x4 rescue vehicles to worst-hit areas and projected 11,000 breakdowns by this evening - up 20 per cent.
East Anglia and areas north of London were its busiest zones, they said.
Spokesman Simon Williams said: 'We’ve significantly boosted overtime shifts for Tuesday to cope with another increase in demand.'
Across the UK, the AA has attended around 9,000 breakdowns so far today – including 23 cars stuck in snow, mainly in Grampian, Oxfordshire and East Midlands.
Breakdowns are currently coming in at more than 1,100 every hour peaking earlier at around 1,750 and the AA expects to attend more than 16,000 for the day, compared to around 10,500 on an average Monday.
Sledging: Daniel and James Egerton play on their sledge in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, which saw the highest amount of snow overnight
Wrapped up: Ruby was out having fun running around in the snow near Chichester today
Freezing: Sheep stand in a snow-covered field near Skipton, Yorkshire today and they can expect more bad weather today
Heavy: A pair of dog walkers stroll through the Recreation Ground in Ashbourne, Derbyshire in a serene scene this morning
Icy: As the cold snap bites this car span off the road and landed on its roof near Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire as road safety campaigners urged drivers to be careful
COLD SNAP COULD PUSH ENERGY BILLS UP BY £7 A WEEK
The cold snap could cost cash-strapped consumers an extra £7 a week on their energy bills, adding to the misery of winter price hikes.
All of Britain’s big six energy suppliers have announced price hikes this winter. As a result, the average household energy bill has hit a record £1,352 a year. And with heating accounting for 44 per of this, freezing winter weather will see consumers bearing the full brunt.
If the freeze lasts for a month, households could be facing an additional £30 on their next energy bill.
Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, said: 'It costs just over £3 a day on average to heat a home, but during a severe cold snap this could easily rise by £1 a day.
'If freezing weather sets in for a month, it’s perfectly feasible for households to see an extra £30 added onto their next energy bill and this will be a real struggle for some.
'The worry is that many households will try to make ends meet by cutting back on their heating.'
Steep energy bill hikes are expected to have kept inflation painfully high in the latest official figures due out tomorrow.
Most economists are predicting the benchmark Consumer Prices Index (ONS) to remain at 2.7% for the third month in a row in December after a wave of energy tariff hikes came into effect.
But some experts believe inflation may have even increased further away from the Government's 2% target, highlighting yet more pain for hard-up households.
The Met Office says its 'cold weather action' warning is at level three today - just short of a national emergency.
'This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services,' it said.
Wednesday could be particularly cold, with temperatures way below freezing overnight and more snow predicted.
Nick Prebble, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: 'Most places in England will see a good dusting of snow this morning, but a heavier fall will come later in the day for central and eastern England.
'There will widely be between 2cms and 5cms but up to 10cms in north-eastern England and Lincolnshire.
'Any amount of snow which falls in this country causes disruption, and there could be some large amounts in local areas so it will undoubtedly cause some travel issues.'
Matt Dobson, senior forecaster for MeteoGroup, added: 'We have two bands of snow to worry about today. The first is over south east England and East Anglia this morning but it is coming down quite slowly and it's light.
'There is another band of rain, sleet and snow, moving out of eastern Scotland across north west England and Wales and moving south east all the time.
'If you draw a line from Manchester to London, south and west of the line there will be mainly rain and sleet. North and east of that line it will fall mainly as sleet and snow.
'Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and East Anglia, they are going to get the worst.'
Britain could be freezing for at least this week and maybe longer, experts have said.
Met Office forecaster Dan Williams said: 'Bitterly cold temperatures are expected, with Wednesday and Thursday seeing places with snow in the east Midlands and North-East have peak temperatures of just -2C or -3C, with peak temperatures of 1-2C in many other areas.
'These are the coldest widespread daytime maximum temperatures so far this winter.
'Nights will fall to -3C to -5C for many parts, but down to -9C on Tuesday night in the East from East Anglia to eastern Scotland, with -10C possible on Wednesday and Thursday nights, with -15C only possible for higher ground away from populated areas.
'The East will remain at risk of the odd snow shower, with West at risk of widespread ice if snow melts and refreezes.
'The message is that roads could be dangerous so people should take care with journeys.'
Playtime: These children made the most of this wintry weather by throwing snowballs and mucking about in Blackburn, Aberdeenshire today
Fun: Daniel and James hit a slope before school, as the first wave of snow hit the area overnight
Pair: Two border collie dogs also enjoy playing in the snow and there will be even more later
Nestled: This isolated cottage is swallowed by a sea of white at Stainmore in Cumbria today
Breathtaking: This completely white view across to the Lakeland Fells in Cumbria shows Britain at its snowy best
Serene: Kedleston Hall in Debyshire, where films like the The Duchess and Pride and Predjudice were filmed was covered in snow
Exercise: The snow didn't stop this woman in Keighley, West Yorkshire walking her dog and this youngster riding across the train tracks in Peterborough
Barely visible: Heavy snow did not stop this lady braving the elements taking her two dogs for a walk in the Derbyshire countryside
David Cameron was on Daybreak this morning and was asked about the snow.
He said the UK had made progress in improving its resilience to cold weather since the problems of 2010 - the worst winter for 30 years.
'I think we’ve made some progress over recent years making sure there are better supplies of grit, making sure there’s more co-ordination,' the PM said.
'It was not good, 2010 – I remember that winter very well and we’ve learnt lessons from that, things like making sure there’s enough de-icer at our airports, making sure there’s better supplies of grit, better co-ordination so we must always make sure the lessons from these things are learnt.
'Some of the things that have taken us by surprise take a long time to fix. You know, the problems with some of our railway services with respect to the central rail, some of these things will take a long time to fix and countries like Sweden that have always had tougher winters.'
Treacherous: Heavy snow is sweeping across northern England and brought for difficult driving conditions this morning, Monday, as Police deal with a car which left the A66 in County Durham during blizzards
Tough: Motorists crawl through the snow as conditions worsened today
The day job: People had to get on with their lives, as this farmer continues his daily work on his County Durham farm despite the snow
Hidden: This house can barely be seen through the heavy snow today, which is set to continue into tonight
Nowhere to go: The A96 at Tyrebagger near Aberdeen was shut northbound because of snow and ice
MURDER TRIAL HALTED BY SNOW
The trial of a passerby accused of murdering a Polish sex attacker was halted today after a blizzard struck Lincoln Crown Court (above).
Judge Michael Heath adjourned the case of 38-year-old Stephen Sleaford at lunchtime after two inches of snow quickly added to overnight falls.
The 12 members of the jury were sent home for the day and told to return on Tuesday if the weather was better - but Judge Heath told them 'he did not want any heroes or for anybody to end up in a ditch.'
Judge Heath added: 'I am sure you will do your best.'
Sleaford is accused of stabbing Polish factory worker Janusz Smoderek, 48, to death after intervening as he 'molested' an 18-year-old girl in the street in Boston, Lincolnshire.
A serious crash involving at least ten vehicles is caused long delays on the M4 across the Berkshire Downs, which was blanketed by snow and freezing rain this morning.
Police said the crash happened on the London-bound carriageway between Membury Services near Lambourn and junction 14, the Hungerford turn-off.
The aftermath of the crash saw the entire motorway shut as police, paramedics and recovery vehicles worked to clear the road so it could be reopened.
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police there were no serious injuries in the collision with only one person being treated by paramedics.
All three lanes were reopened more than two hours later with hour long tailbacks for motorists behind the crash.
On the same stretch Britain's worst-ever motorway tragedy happened in March 1991, when ten people died and dozens were injured in a 51-vehicle pile-up in dense fog which saw many of the cars, lorries and coaches burnt out in a fireball.
In Graveley, Hertfordshire, a woman and three boys were taken to hospital after a car was involved in a collision with two others which had already stopped because they had crashed as a result of the icy conditions.
Police and paramedics were called to Church Lane to deal with the aftermath this morning and road conditions were described as an 'ice rink.'
Trotting along: These sheep in Derbyshire slowly wandered across this deserted road
Long horn cattle rummaging through the hay before it becomes covered in snow
Crashes: This car ended up on its roof near Hatton of Fintray, Aberdeenshire, and was one of several accidents today in 'ice rink' conditions
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) said: 'We believe there was a previous collision involving two vehicles who were stationary at the time when the third vehicle collided with them.
'A woman and three young boys were taken to the nearby Lister Hospital with minor injuries.'
In nearby Buntingford, a man was hospitalised after a early morning crash which was thought to have been due to snow making visibility poor.
In nearby Buntingford, a man was hospitalised after a early morning crash which was thought to have been due to snow making visibility poor.
A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said it was called to a three car collision on the A10.
'On arrival of the paramedics a man was found trapped in one of the vehicles where he had sustained slight injuries.
'Following treatment and stabilisation by the ambulance crews, he was taken to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge for further care.'
Dusting: Even the famous statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Westminster, which faces Big Ben and parliament had snow on its shoulders this morning
Cold: A woman jogs through St James's Park with Buckingham Palace in the background as snow and freezing temperatures hit London
Crisp: Snow in St Thomas' Hospital's garden on the banks of the Thames with an enviable view of the Houses of Parliament
Commute: Travellers were met with snow-covered platforms today as a belt of snow sat over the UK
Meanwhile, the AA warned that 75 per cent of drivers are not prepared for the conditions.
Some schools may also shut, with councils in Kent and Norfolk setting up text and email services to warn parents of any closures.
The bulk of the snow is falling over northern and central England, north Wales and Scotland, with the south east and London getting lighter snow showers.
Up to 4ins is likely to settle in Yorkshire, while central and northern England and north Wales will all have up to 2ins of snow.
Majestic: A red deer stag rests in the bracken with snow on its antlers in Richmond Park, London, this morning
Snack: A young deer eats snow nearby as the area gets a rare dusting overnight
Sober start: A walker (left) heads through an idyllic West Sussex woodland and a postman makes his way through heavy snow this morning in Aberdeen city centre (right)
Temperatures are expected to drop further to around minus eight degrees on Wednesday night with the possibility of more light snow flurries.
The Highways Agency has said it is 'well prepared' for winter conditions.
A spokeswoman said: 'We have a fleet of 500 state-of-the-art winter vehicles on standby, supported by tried-and-tested winter resilience plans.
'We have reviewed salt stock levels and taken action where needed to enhance our resilience and we have again established a reserve salt stock to help ensure that there is enough salt to deal with severe winter.
'Our roads will be treated whenever there is a risk of ice or snow. However, even when roads have been treated, drivers should still take care, especially on stretches where the local road layout or landscape means there could be a greater risk of ice forming.'
White: Snow has made it as far south as Canterbury in Kent today and will probably be hit again later
Play: A young boy is dragged through the snow in Abington Park, Northampton on his sledge
Dangerous: Overnight snow greeted this commuter as he headed to work in Hildenborough, Kent - motorists are being warned about treacherous conditions
Far south: This pub in Hildenborough in Kent shows the level of snow in that area, which can be rare
There are fears that hard-up families may not be able to afford to have the heating on.
Save the Children’s head of UK policy, Chris Wellings, said: 'The poorest families will struggle to cope with this cold snap. Parents on low incomes are already struggling to afford even basic essentials such as warm winter clothing and a hot meal every day for their children as living costs continue to rise.
'As temperatures plummet many simply don’t have the money to heat their homes. The Government must ensure that the poorest families can afford to keep warm.'
The Local Government Association also said councils were well-prepared and insisted there would be no repeat of the problems during wintry weather in 2010 when large parts of the transport network ground to a halt.
Clearing snow: A man carries a snopw shovel to clear it away at St Giles Church in Bowes, County Durham
Stark: Snow covers grave stones at Bolton Priory at the village of Bolton Abbey, near Skipton, Yorkshire
Quiet: People cross a snow covered field at the village of Bolton Abbey
Shiveringly cold: As temperatures plummet a walker brave the snow and icy weather in Hindhead, Surrey
Close: This couple huddle close together in the bitterly cold conditions in Surrey as their dog enjoys running in the snow
Train services Network Rail ran special trains through the night in a bid to stop tracks freezing and will use anti-freeze on electric rails.
The bad weather did hit some rail services, although not all the problems encountered by commuters today were weather-related.
Poor conditions led to delays to First Capital Connect services between London and Cambridge.
Over-running engineering work also led to hold-ups to Greater Anglia services between Ilford and Shenfield in Essex, while a signalling problem at Stourbridge Junction in the West Midlands led to delays to services between Kidderminster and the aptly-named Birmingham Snow Hill.
Also in the West Midlands, a broken-down freight train near Bloxwith led to delays to London Midland services between Rugeley Trent Valley and Birmingham New Street.
Further north, a signalling problem at Eccles led to delays to trains between Manchester Piccadilly/Manchester Victoria and Newton-le-Willows.
Icy blast: Arguably London's greatest building, St Paul's Cathedral, is covered in snow this morning as the capital is hit with snow
Queues: A snow plough sits in a queue on the A1058 Coast Rd in North Tyneside as the area prepares for up to 10cms of snow
Blanket: A layer of white snow glows yellow under street lights in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire this morning as bad weather hits Britain
Snow covered: Many Britons woke to white scenes today but a second heavier band of snow will hit later today
Fresh: London has experienced its first snowfall of winter overnight, with a heavier dumping predicted later in the day
Rare: The central areas of the capital do not often find themselves under a layer of snow, but did this morning
Bad weather: A couple walk their dogs as snow falls in Caldecote, Cambridgeshire, as the first wave of snow hits the UK
Preparation: A British Airways plane is de-iced at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport as a cold snap hits the UK
London's airports appear to be running well so far today.
Heathrow’s Spanish owners spent £32million on a ‘winter resilience’ programme, including new snowploughs and de-icing equipment, after a blizzard shut runways for five days before Christmas 2010.
Online retailer Amazon said sales of sledges had surged by 600per cent, and customers were also investing in snow shovels.
'It’s no surprise from looking at the weather reports that Amazon.co.uk customers are sensibly preparing by stocking up on snow shovels,' said Xavier Garambois, vice president of EU retail.
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