City braces for snow and deep freeze
LONDON has been put on alert for snow disruption as bitterly cold weather sweeps through the country this week.
More than 100,000 tonnes of salt are ready to grit roads and pavements in the city, and Transport for London said it is working with Network Rail to brace the capital’s train system for snow and ice.
Heathrow Airport, which is expecting light snowfall overnight, said yesterday that passengers should check before they travel but that it had no plans to cancel flights.
Britain’s busiest airport, which was slammed in late 2010 when it failed to keep flights running in snow storms, said it has spent £36m in the last two years on equipment and training to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum.
London City Airport said it is monitoring the forecast closely and has a response team ready to act.
The Met Office last night had severe weather warnings in place for much of England and Scotland until tomorrow, when the snow, strong winds and freezing conditions are expected to head east.
Temperatures in London are expected to drop as low as -3°C this week, with a chance of snow in the capital until at least Thursday.