Weather chaos continues as thaw remains days away

The winter weather is continuing to cause problems across the UK, as a thaw seems unlikely for several days.

Gatwick Airport re-opened at 0600 GMT after closing overnight, but passengers were told to expect further disruption. Heathrow Airport is operating no more than a third of all flights until 0600 GMT on Wednesday, and there are delays at regional airports across the UK.

The coldest temperature overnight was -17.6C, recorded in Crosby, Merseyside, and in Katesbridge, Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, Eurostar passengers were queuing for more than half a mile on Tuesday morning as the cross-channel operator ran a restricted service at St Pancras station in London. The company asked customers booked to travel before Christmas to exchange their tickets or get a refund free of charge, if their travel was not essential. On Monday, people queued for up to eight hours.

Forecasters have predicted there will be no let-up in the freezing conditions until Boxing Day - with ongoing delays on the roads and railways. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings of widespread icy roads across most of the UK.

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source: BBC