England set for coldest ever night of MINUS 26C as big freeze destroys travel plans for millions

By James White
Last updated at 6:36 PM on 20th December 2010
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* Videos at the link at the bottom of the page

With England in the icy grip of the coldest December for a century, the temperature is set to drop to a record low, with more snow forecast in the coming days.

Last night, the temperature in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, fell to -19.6C, and experts believe a combination of snow-covered ground, clear skies and the shortest day of the year could produce a sub -26C thermometer reading tomorrow.

The previous record low of -26.1C, set in Shropshire in January 1982, could be eclipsed at an inland area that does not benefit from the warming effect of the sea.

Scroll down for video report


Big chill: A solitary figure braves the snow-covered beach in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, today. Experts believe the mercury may hit sub -26C tomorrow


No hot dogs today: A deserted eaterie in Weston-super-Mare


Druids, get your thermals: Stonehenge, in Wiltshire - a cold setting for the Winter Solstice tomorrow


Talk of the town: The temperature in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, fell to -19.6C last night

The potential for records to fall comes as the freezing conditions crippled Britain's transport hubs, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at Heathrow and at the Eurostar terminal where flights and trains were cancelled in droves.

At St Pancras International station in London, there were reports of seven-hour queues for Eurostar trains and Salvation Army volunteers handed out hot drinks to passengers waiting in -3C conditions.

'I’ve been standing outside for hours, it’s freezing, there are no blankets and heaters. They knew this would happen,' said Marie Lovecchio, a 25-year-old student returning home to Brussels for Christmas.

Eurostar staff said the service was operating on a 'first come, first served' basis, and warned passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary.

More...

* 'Sorry' won't get us home for Christmas: Heathrow boss grovels but airport remains crippled (and there's more snow due today) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ption.html

* Family watch in horror as man falls through frozen lake and dies after following his dog http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... g-dog.html

* Distraught children find dead deer entombed in icy lake on 'magical' trip to see Father Christmas at country park http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -park.html

* Our snow-topped capital from the air: Amazing aerial photos of frozen London http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... a-air.html

* Throw another snowball on the barbie! Australia set for a white Christmas as icy winds bring winter weather - in the middle of summer http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ummer.html

* Snowed-under Germany pins hopes on forecast of pre-Christmas thaw as Europe struggles in bleak midwinter http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -thaw.html

A spokesman said: 'We are running and that’s what counts. But due to the severe disruption we have experienced today we have a number of trains and crew out of position.


Haunting: Frost clings to the statue of Alfred, Lord Tennyson as freezing fog surrounds the tower of Lincoln Cathedral


Treacherous: A car is left abandoned after crashing on an icy road in the Mendips in Wells, Somerset


Almost impassable: The M5 motorway in Somerset where heavy snow restricted drivers to using just one lane between Weston-super-Mare and Exeter

'We expect ongoing weather conditions to result in speed restrictions and delays on our routes.'

Domestic trains into London were also operating an emergency timetable, and in many areas buses were unable to replace them due to blocked roads.

PLANES, TRAINS AND MOTORWAYS

RAIL

Eurostar worst hit with all passengers warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary

South West Trains, carrying passengers from the South and South-West into Waterloo, operating reduced timetable

All routes on Southeastern serving Kent, part of Sussex and south-east London, into Charing Cross, Victoria, Cannon Street and
Blackfriars, disrupted

Thameslink services operated by First Capital Connect temporarily suspended

Seven of the 11 Tube lines disrupted in morning rush hour

AIRPORTS

BAA said only 'a handful' of the normal 1,260 flights were expected to leave Heathrow today, and told passengers to stay away unless their flight had been confirmed

ROADS

M4 closed this morning between junctions one to four because of overturned car

M5 down to one lane between junctions 24 and 31 this morning

M23 one lane blocked northbound between J9, Gatwick Airport, and J9a A23
South West Trains operated a reduced timetable while all routes on Southeastern suffered disruption.

Seven of the 11 Tube lines suffered disruption during the morning peak due to weather conditions and signal failures.

The misery came as Southeastern commuters who suffered the brunt of last week’s snow were told they will not receive any compensation for the disruption after train performance for the year beat the 82 per cent threshold by 0.04 per cent.

At Heathrow, only one of the two runways was open today as BAA relaxed rules on night flights in a desperate bid to allow passengers to reach their destinations before Christmas.

In the West Country, motorists were left stationary on the M5 as heavy morning snow brought the motorway down to one lane between junctions 24 and 31, from Bridgwater in Somerset to Exeter in Devon.

Other routes to suffer major disruption included the A303, A358 and A38 in Somerset.

Across Britain, the disruption is set to cost the economy hundreds of millions of pounds in lost sales and productivity as travellers, shoppers and workers decide to stay at home.

Further atrocious conditions are set to cause rush-hour havoc in the south east of England this evening, with heavy snow forecast.

John Hammond, a forecaster at the Met Office, said: 'The situation at the moment is a case of snow for parts of central and southern Wales, parts of west and southern England and down towards south-eastern England.

'The snow band is making its way slowly but surely eastwards. There will be heavy outbreaks and risk of drifting in Wiltshire in areas such as the Salisbury Plain.

'At the moment it's as low as -8C in parts of Shropshire and even -6C in Blackpool.

'Tonight will see another extremely cold period with temperatures of -18C or even lower in some areas.

'Northern Ireland could see a new record low after the record was broken of -17.6C in County Tyrone last night.


Grounded: Airline passengers queue to enter Heathrow airport's Terminal 3 - but have now been told to stay away as it is so congested


Snow place like home: Icicles hang from houses in Blaenau Ffestiniog, North Wales

'We will see more snow tonight, it will drift its way eastwards and will coincide with the rush hour in parts of the south east.

'Surrey, Kent and Sussex will see heavy falls, turning into very dry and cold skies across much of the UK.

'Tomorrow we do not expect to see temperatures above freezing for much of the country.'

Mr Hammond also predicted a white Christmas for isolated eastern areas on Saturday.

He said: 'Christmas day will be largely cold and dry but eastern areas may see snow showers as north-easterly winds blow moisture in from the North Sea.'

Two teenagers were killed in a crash on Sunday on an icy Liverpool road.


Journey from hell: Passengers in a queue at St Pancras International station in London


Snow home: A man admires an igloo in a park in Merton, London

James Doran and Jordan Kenny, both 16, died when the Peugeot 207 they were travelling in lost control in icy conditions and hit a tree before ploughing into a garden wall.

The incident happened at around 4.55am on Sunday morning on the East Lancashire road at the junction with Townsend Avenue, in Walton.

One of the boys was declared dead at the scene while the other died a short time later in hospital. Both teens were from the Walton area.

Their post mortem examinations are due to take place tomorrow. The driver of the car, a 21-year-old from Norris Green, broke his neck in the smash and remains in a stable condition in hospital.

Social networking site Facebook has been flooded with tribute to the two friends, who have been described as the 'best lads you could ever meet'.


Family fun: Chelsie, Jasmin, Paris and Summer Bale with their snow crocodile


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