Cameron frustrated by snow delays

The Met Office says temperatures could fall to -20C on Tuesday night

Prime Minister David Cameron says he is “frustrated” over the lengthy delays to air travel caused by snow at Heathrow Airport during the weekend.

He said cabinet had discussed the widespread travel chaos “extensively” on Tuesday, as thousands of passengers remain stranded across the UK.

He said the second runway at Heathrow would be open within hours.

Meanwhile, East Coast trains between London and Peterborough had to be evacuated after power line damage.

Heathrow has been criticised for the length of time it took to clear tonnes of snow from runways and plane stands, but the government has revealed that an offer of Army assistance was turned down.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We’ve said if they need additional manpower, a bit of muscle to clear snow we can provide them with troops and lorries to do that.

“They’re telling me at the moment they have all the muscle they need. They’ve cleared most of the stands here and they’re actually now in the process of clearing the south runway to get that opened.”

In other developments:

Some passengers waiting at Heathrow are being bussed to Manchester Airport for flights, with the first flight out expected to be a Cathay Pacific flight to Hong KongMore than 100 passengers were stuck for six hours on a Southeastern train between Kemsing and Otford in Kent when rail lines frozeGatwick Airport reopened at 0600 GMT after closing overnight, but passengers were told to expect further disruptionEdinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Birmingham, Luton, London City, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton airports say all flights will be subject to delays and cancellationsSome 392 schools remain closed in Northern IrelandMotoring rescue service the AA had its busiest ever day on Monday – with 28,000 callsFirst Capital Connect, First Hull Trains, Grand Central, the TransPennine Express, the Stansted Express, Heathrow Express, Virgin Trains, South West Trains, Chiltern Railways, Merseyrail, and Arriva Trains Wales are all subject to delays and cancellationsA report by the head of the RAC Foundation concludes the government may find it “challenging” to meet road salt requirements for the rest of the winter, although enough was stockpiled to cope with the cold spell at the start of the monthThe Foreign Office warns of disruption to rail and air travel in France, with delays in parts of Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland

Heathrow Airport is operating a reduced flight schedule until at least 0600 GMT on Thursday, although the Department of Transport has relaxed night-flight restrictions at the airport.

Normally all flights stop between 2330 and 0600, but for the next three nights arrivals and departures can continue until 0100, with arrivals only after 0100.

Forecasters have predicted there will be no let-up in the freezing conditions until Boxing Day.

BBC forecaster John Hammond said while the southernmost counties of England had seen a slight rise in temperatures, it would be very short lived, with no significant thaw this week.

The Met Office warned temperatures could fall as low as -20C in parts of northern England, southern Scotland and Northern Ireland on Tuesday night.

It also warned of heavy snow in parts of Wales and widespread icy roads across most of the UK.

Key European transport hubs affected

Airport operator BAA advised people not to travel to Heathrow airport unless their airline had confirmed the booking.

It also warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations, possibly up to Christmas Day.

British Airways said it was suffering “significant disruption” in and out of Heathrow, especially to its short-haul schedules.

The European Union has heavily criticised European airports for their response to the recent weather, with transport commissioner Siimn Kallas telling them to “get serious” about planning.

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