UK weather: Snow causes chaos with travellers stranded overnight and airports closed
Snowfall that hit the UK on Boxing Day left many motorists and travellers stranded in freezing conditions.
Yorkshire was particularly badly affected, with the BBC reporting that a coachload of people in
Sheffield were forced to spend the night in a church after their bus became stuck in snow
trying to leave the city.
The AA also tweeted a picture of many abandoned vehicles in the area.
Across Northern Ireland, Wales, central and northern England and southern Scotland,
dozens of people faced treacherous driving conditions in rain, sleet and snow.
Flights were also affected, with planes diverted from Liverpool to Manchester on Friday
(26 November) and Leeds Bradford airport shut down while runways were cleared of snow.
Chloe McIntosh was among those trapped in the Our Lady of Beauchief & St Thomas of
Canterbury Church in Sheffield after the coach she was travelling on was abandoned.
"Some people from the houses nearby have come and offered us tea," she told the BBC. "Then they opened up the church."
Other reports suggested that the bus passengers included a pregnant woman, and that they faced a 12 hour wait before being able to move on.
Police forces across Staffordshire and Leicestershire urged motorists to only travel if absolutely necessary.
Met Office has issued yellow warnings alerting people to 'be aware' of snow and ice for Scotland and warned of ice for parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The cold spell is expected to last until Wednesday, with frost, freezing fog patches and strong winds in parts of the UK.
IBTIMES
