Icy 'nightmare' brings trail of chaos

Snowbound England: Four die as wintry blast causes danger for motorists and leaves the South at a standstill

Drivers were warned to brace themselves for more winter tailbacks today, as snow and ice continues to leave a trail of chaos across England. Four people are thought to have died after skidding out of control and scores of motorists spent nearly 24 hours trapped in an M25 service station after a section of the motorway was cut off in icy blizzards.

Motoring organisations spoke of "nightmare" conditions on snowbound and icy roads. The Siberian blast sweeping much of the country is expected to last until the weekend, when the frosts will begin to thaw.

Worst affected yesterday were Kent and Surrey, with the M25 severely hit by snow on a stretch straddling both counties between junctions five and six. The section was closed intermittently throughout the morning as police tried to avoid a recurrence of Tuesday night's 37-mile logjam from mid- Surrey to the Dartford tunnel.

Even gritting lorries were stuck in the snow as they tried to dodge their way along carriageways littered with abandoned cars, the RAC said.

In Nottinghamshire, police were investigating whether snow was partly responsible for a crash in which a father and his two children died. Glyn Palmer, 37, was driving his Nissan Micra car with his 10-year-old son, Darren, in the front seat and his daughter, Paula-Marie, eight, in the back seat when they were in a crash with an articulated lorry on the A6097 near Oxton, Nottinghamshire.

One woman driver died and her husband was seriously injured when their car skidded off the A40 at Carmarthen, Dyfed, and crashed into road signs in the early hours.

Hundreds of trapped travellers spent nearly 24 hours at Clackett Lane Service Station on the M25. And despite the massive police and rescue service operation to clear the orbital between Caterham, Surrey (Junction 6) and Sevenoaks, Kent (Junction 5), many motorists were still stuck yesterday.

An RAC spokesman said: "There are still terrible problems. There is heavy snow falling in the area and conditions are worsening. We are expecting severe falls across the South-east and we are calling in extra staff in to cope."

Rayner Peett of the AA said: "Traffic is a nightmare at the moment. Our advice is to try and stagger journeys, take extra time and speak to your boss nicely to allow you to leave work a little bit earlier." Drivers should also keep extra warm clothing and a blanket in the car and take a vacuum flask.

A London Weather Centre spokesman warned more snow was forecast for last night in the south-eastern quarter of Britain, particularly East Anglia, Essex and Kent. A fresh band of snow is expected to arrive from the Continent and spread westwards to central counties of England. Parts of Norfolk and Suffolk can expect a covering of three to four centimetres, he said.

Today the wind is expected to shift to a more south-easterly direction and southern counties, especially Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire and Avon, can expect snow. But the air flow would become more southerly by Friday and a thaw was expected to set in by the weekend.

For the second day running yesterday bookmakers slashed odds against a white Christmas. Ladbrokes cut their price to 2-1 after a rush of bets on yesterday morning's quoted odds of 5-1. A spokesman, Paul Austin, said: "As soon as our customers can't feel their fingers and toes they start betting heavily on a white Christmas."

William Hill cut their odds from 7-1 to 5-1 and are bracing themselves for a pounds 100,000 pay-out if it snows on December 25.