Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

UK weather live travel updates: Six hour delays on Eurotunnel as freezing conditions cause chaos on roads and rail

Hazardous roads and damaged railway power supplies cause havoc for travellers

Samuel Osborne
Tuesday 12 December 2017 08:14 GMT
Comments
UK becomes a winter wonderland as snow falls

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Drivers and passengers using Britain's roads and railways are being warned to expect disruption as freezing conditions continue to cause havoc across the country.

Delays and cancellations to travel services were reported across the UK after the coldest night of the year.

Clear skies overnight saw temperatures plummet below the -12.4C recorded on Saturday night, with -13C recorded in Shropshire.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning, covering large parts of the country, including much of the Midlands, Scotland and Wales.

The AA said drivers should expect hazardous conditions on the roads while travellers attempting to reach France using the Eurotunnel were warned about delays of up to six hours.

At Heathrow, where dozens of flights were affected on Monday, 16 departures were listed as cancelled for Tuesday with the airport advising passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

Cancellations are also reported at Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh airports.

Airlines had previously said the re-positioning of aircraft and crews from previous days was adding to the problems.

Dozens of schools in the South West, West Midlands and Wales have kept their gates closed for a second day following the bitterly cold conditions.

Additional reporting by agencies

Good morning, welcome to The Independent's live blog on the lingering threat of delays and cancellations across the UK. 

We'll be bringing you the latest updates throughout the day. 

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 08:10

Last night was officially the coldest night of the year. 

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 08:13

Here's a look at how travel services are still affected: 

At Heathrow, 16 departures are listed as cancelled, with the airport advising passengers to check the status of their flight before travelling to the airport.

Cancellations are also reported at Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh airports.

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 08:21

National Rail is not reporting any major disruption to train journeys owing to the weather - but added services running to and from London Waterloo could be disrupted until 10am following a line-side fire.

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 08:22
Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 08:45

Scores of schools are set to be closed for a second day as the cold weather continues to cause disruption.

All council-run schools in Birmingham were shut on Monday following the hazardous conditions, but the blanket closure is not in force for Tuesday.

Nearly 80 schools are listed as closed in Staffordshire, with many citing untreated paths and fears that snow will have compacted into ice as reasons for keeping the gates closed.

Gloucestershire, which saw around 200 schools closed on Monday, will have 80 schools closed on Tuesday, while more than 90 will be closed in neighbouring Herefordshire.

Pupils at 123 primary schools and 25 secondary schools in Shropshire will have a second day off owing to the weather, while in Wales hundreds of schools will be shut on Tuesday, with Caerphilly and Powys particularly affected.

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 09:04

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 09:16
Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 09:35

Here's the latest from the Met Office: 

Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 10:01
Samuel Osborne12 December 2017 10:22

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in