London snow: Freezing weather brings large parts of capital's transport network grinding to a halt

London commuters faced a miserable Monday journey to work after overnight snow brought large parts of the transport system to a standstill.

Drivers on the M25 in Hertfordshire were stranded for several hours when traffic came to a halt.

Daniel Duffield, a 22-year-old off-duty paramedic, was stuck on the motorway for more than two-and-a-half hours on Monday morning while attempting to travel home to Birmingham from London.

He said vehicles had been “stationary with very small movement”.

He went on: “I expected some traffic due to weather but nothing this bad.

“Traffic appeared to be at a standstill for miles and miles.

“Other drivers were turning their engines off presumably to save fuel due to the uncertainty.

“A few people were stretching their legs due to delays too.”

He added that the road “doesn’t appear to have been gritted” but National Highways said “we had up to 25 gritters treating the M25 at any one time” on Sunday and overnight into Monday.

AA president Edmund King said the number of breakdown callouts is around 25% higher than normal.

He went on: “Many drivers were stranded or severely delayed on the northern section of the M25 last night between London Colney and the M11.

“Traffic is still severely delayed there this morning due to the continuous snow fall.

“Roads in Kent were also severely affected including the M2, and M20.

“The conditions show that it is essential to be prepared if you are driving.”

He urged drivers to check fuel levels and take warm clothing, a charged mobile phone, food and drink.

“The best advice if you must drive is to take it easy and leave a much longer distance from the vehicle in front,” he added.

Rail and Tube passengers were forced to wait on chilly platforms as trains were cancelled or delayed.

London Underground blamed snow and ice for causing signal failures and ‘track faults’ on almost all of the Tube network.

At the height of the rush hour, commuters waiting at Earl’s Court station waiting were told there were no trains to the City.

The suspension of District Line services led to crowded platforms and trains on the Piccadilly Line.

Passengers using mainline trains also faced disruption.

Thameslink and Great Northern services were cancelled or delayed and Southeastern advised passengers to avoid travelling.

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