Travel disruption as Snow blankets the UK

A thick blanket of snow, 16cm deep in places, has settled across parts of the UK,

 grounding planes, stranding motorists and leaving roads icy and treacherous.

Many motorway drivers were forced to spend the night in their cars as the snow brought traffic to a standstill. The Highways Agency has urged motorists to take extra care on the roads.

A third of today's flights have been axed at Heathrow because of the snow and the possibility of freezing fog. A spokesman for the airport said: "We have about 850 of our usual 1,231 flights scheduled for today. That's been agreed with the airlines, but we are asking people to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport."

A full schedule of flights is planned for Gatwick, but passengers have been warned of possible disruptions because of the weather.

Stansted, Birmingham, Luton and Manchester airports were forced to suspend operations for a period last night as snow piled up on the runways, but normal service was expected to resume on Sunday.

In Luton, flights were "fully operational" with some delays due to snow clearing.

A couple of departures were cancelled at Stansted, but a spokesman said there was "movement" on and off the runway, adding: "Flights are subject to delays of up to about one hour".

A Gatwick spokesman said all scheduled flights had taken off and arrived safely, despite 8cm of snow. There were no cancellations.

On the roads, motorists faced what the RAC described as a "dangerous cocktail of driving conditions" and were urged to stay at home where possible. Some minor routes closed altogether.

The Highways Agency has issued an amber alert, advising people to take extra care while travelling because of "the increased risk of adverse driving conditions".

Rail services have also been affected, with disruption set to continue throughout Sunday.

Southern Railway said trains were subject to delay and cancellation, with journey times extended by up to 30 minutes.

In the capital, all bus routes were operating morning after a few "curtailments" to the night bus services, Transport for London said.

The Department for Transport has said it was better prepared than ever for severe winter weather.