16 Inches Of Snow In Britain

Up to 16 inches of snow, grit and gas supplies running low, airport and road chaos but we'll cope ... at a push

Last updated at 2:54 AM on 06th January 2010

Snowstorms were sweeping across the country last night as Britain faced the prospect of a freeze lasting for weeks.

Arctic weather brought the North to a virtual standstill under eight inches of snow yesterday and 16 inches was forecast for parts of the South overnight.

Massive disruption hit roads, railways and airports, more than 1,000 schools closed and there were fears that supplies of gas and grit were running out.

Physical exercise: A passenger gives a driver a helping hand after it gets stuck in the snow in Norton

But millions of people struggled to work and back again and Gordon Brown insisted: 'We can cope'. The Met Office had issued an emergency 'extreme weather warning' as a weather front straight from the Arctic swept across the country, taking temperatures as low as -14c.

Millions were caught up in chaos across the north of England and Scotland, which forecasters said would spread to the South today in what is already the longest cold spell since 1981. They warned that the freeze could go on for at least another 15 days, making it the worst for a century.

Police warned people to stay at home unless their journey was vital as they prepared for countrywide disruption.

A still life in white: Houseboats on the canal in Sale are frozen at their moorings as pedestrians pick their way through up to six inches of snow on the banks

As the blizzards spread:

● Four people died in accidents on icy roads;

<● A six-year-old boy was fighting for his life after falling through the ice on a garden pond;

● Councils warned they were rapidly running out of grit and some had little more than a day's supply;

● There was panic buying of salt, shovels, thermal underwear - and sledges;

● A driver was treated for shock after his car skidded on to a level crossing near Selby, North Yorkshire, and was hit by a train seconds after he scrambled clear.

Chaos: A car abandoned by its driver at Hamble station, Southampton, following heavy snowfall

Grounded: Snow settles on a British Airways airplane as flights were suspended at airports across the UK

With customers using gas at near-record levels, the National Grid issued a red alert that demand was outstripping supply. But extra supplies pumped in from Belgium and Norway eased the situation.

Gordon Brown denied the country was facing a gas supply crisis, insisting: 'I think Britain can deal with these problems. There are always difficulties when we have a long spell of bad weather. But we can cope.'

A turn for the worse: Gridlocked traffic in Manchester as the rush hour becomes slush hour

<

Head for the hills: Youngsters enjoy the thrill of sledging in Cheshire while a skier waits for the bus in Leeds

Millions of motorists were stuck on snow-bound roads as Manchester, Liverpool and parts of Yorkshire ground to a halt. Dual carriageways were reduced to single lanes as snowploughs struggled to cope and the RAC said it was dealing with 1,400 breakdowns every hour.