Hundreds of people stranded on a motorway in Scotland on Wednesday were stuck in their cars overnight as severe snow caused widespread disruption in the UK. Parts of the UK are on red alert as the snow continued to fall across much of the country, closing schools, delaying medical operations and causing widespread travel disruption.
Fuel and water supplies were being delivered by emergency services to those stuck on the M80 near Glasgow, as rescue workers struggled to clear the tailbacks. The motorway, which was covered by the red weather warning, became gridlocked during the afternoon when it was hit by heavy snow. Forecasters said some communities could be cut off overnight on Wednesday as up to 40cm (15.7in) of snow was expected to fall by the morning. Roads in eastern England were among the worst hit, though the snowfall was forecast to worsen in Scotland later.
A man believed to be in his 60s died in hospital after being pulled from the water at Danson Park in Welling, south-east London, police said. And firefighters rescued a young boy who tried to run to the middle of a frozen lake near Basildon, Essex, and got trapped on an island of ice when it broke up around him. Rail travellers were warned to avoid going to or from Scotland during the worsening conditions. In the west, no trains were running north of Carlisle, and in the east services were heavily disrupted, with no trains running north of Edinburgh. Glasgow airport cancelled all flights on Wednesday, while more than 100 planes were grounded at Heathrow. At least 98 more flights were cancelled at London City airport, as were flights from Leeds Bradford and Glasgow airports.
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