7 January 2010 / AP, LONDON
Unusually heavy snowfall stranded hundreds of motorists, disrupted trains and shut down schools and airports across Britain on Wednesday as the country suffered through its longest cold snap in nearly 30 years.
The British military was called in overnight to help rescue motorists when up to 1,000 vehicles were caught in a massive snow-related traffic jam in Hampshire, in southern England. Many people were evacuated to nearby rescue centers but some people slept in their vehicles overnight. The demands on rescue workers in southern England were so overwhelming that coast guard workers turned their skills from sea to land to help out. The runway at London’s Gatwick Airport, the second busiest in the country, was closed for snow clearance on Wednesday morning while sections of the country’s most important highways -- such as the M1, which links London and Leeds -- were closed. A dozen flights were canceled at London’s Heathrow airport, Europe’s busiest, with massive lines building at check-in desks. Similar delays and cancelations were reported at regional airports. Train services were also affected, with lines in southern England reporting reduced services.
