Yellow weather warning for London as snow and ice blankets parts of the south
Tap above for video report by Carolyn Sim
A yellow weather warning is in place for London and the south until Thursday morning after a blast of Arctic air swept into parts of the UK overnight.
Large areas of the south east woke to a covering of ice and snow with a warning the freezing conditions may lead to injuries from slips and falls and cause travel disruption.
Gatwick Airport said some passengers experienced “minor delays” on Wednesday morning but “the airport is open and flights are operating”.
London Underground was running a near normal service at around 10am with non-weather related delays affecting the Jubilee and Northern Lines.
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The Met Office said temperatures in London would only climb as high as 4C on Wednesday, adding: "A band of snow will fall as rain along southern coasts, clearing eastwards through the morning.
"Further rain moves in from the west through the afternoon, turning to snow away from southern counties during the evening."
Tonight the snow showers are expected to give way to frost as temperatures fall towards zero.
Above: Snow falls early this morning in Little Venice in West London
Some train lines were hit with disruption this morning.
Dale Hipkiss, national network manager at National Highways, urged people to pack extra provisions in vehicles in case they become stranded.
“Keeping a kit of essential items like a torch and warm clothes, in your vehicle, can be vital in case you and your passengers become stranded in winter,” he said.
“Freezing conditions bring so many hazards, such as snow and ice, and take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow lots of extra time when travelling to prepare for the unexpected.”
Councils are also gritting local roads and pavements in a bid to ensure people can keep moving.
David Renard, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “As temperatures plummet once again, councils are ready to work around the clock to grit roads and pavements to make sure that people are kept safe and local communities can get out and about.
“Councils have stockpiled 1.4 million tonnes of salt and are using new and innovative technologies where they can to ensure those areas that are most treacherous are kept clear and safe for use.”
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