Country stalled by snow, fifth day in a row

London: London was hit by heavy snow again on Friday, causing yet more disruption after five days of freezing temperatures.

Train operators including Virgin Trains, Chiltern Railways, First Great Western, Stansted Express and Virgin Trains were all subject to cancellations and reduced services. London Midland, which operates from Euston, was warning passengers not to travel unless absolutely necessary. Luton Airport suspended all 25 flights until noon while BAA, which owns Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, advised passengers to allow extra time to get to the airports and warned of possible delays if snow continued.

Transport for London, which suspended all bus services on Monday, was operating as normal bar minor disruption on the outlying part of the Metropolitan line.

The Met Office predicted up to around twenty centimetres of snow in a band north and west of London with the M4 corridor at greatest risk.

Parents were warned to check whether the fresh snow will force their schools to close again as classroom heating seized up.

Londoners heading for the West Country faced treacherous conditions on the M4 and M5. As much as 30 centimetres fell in Devon overnight, leading to an emergency rescue of more than 200 drivers and passengers in cars.

Police, the army and civilian teams scrambled every available 4X4 to reach 200 vehicles stranded on the A38 and A380 south of Exeter, with dozens of others stuck on the A386 near Tavistock.

More than 200 people were recovering in shelters set up near Exeter and in Okehampton as the emergency services worked to clear the roads. Devon and Cornwall police spokesman Alan Mobbs said a small number of drivers had remained stuck on the A38. Dartmoor Rescue Group provided blankets and hot drinks. He said: "People are very cold and quite wet. Anyone who has been rescued was very, very pleased to see us." Several diabetics needed insulin.

A woman in labour was taken to hospital in a fire engine after an ambulance and a Sea King helicopter could not get through in North Tawton, Devon. She gave birth to twin girls at Okehampton Community Hospital early today.

The A38 and A380 remained shut as well as parts of the A30. Devon police said the situation was still "critical" with hundreds of cars abandoned.

A fear that councils will run out of salt and grit has lead to some only treating major routes.

Heavy snowfalls were reported in counties north of London, while the capital itself saw flurries for the first time since Monday when it almost ground to a halt.

The rare heavy snowfalls - which have lasted for five days across the country - have led to shortages of grit to spread on roads, with some local authorities appealing for help from neighbouring areas.

Has the heavy snowfall disrupted your travel plans to the UK?