Severe weather hits UK's Christmas travel

Reuters

WINTERY WEATHER: Snow and ice have caused major travel problems for Britons this Christmas.

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A Ryanair plane slid off the runway after landing at a Scottish airport and two people were killed in a coach crash in Cornwall, as snow and ice made travelling hazardous across Britain.

Cross-Channel rail operator Eurostar advised passengers planning to travel on Wednesday not to go to St Pancras International station in London until after 1pm because its trains were full after a three-day stoppage.

Ryanair, the Irish budget airline, said all the 123 passengers and six crew on the flight from Dublin to Prestwick airport, close to Glasgow, were safe after the runway incident.

''After a normal landing was completed and while taxiing from the runway, the aircraft encountered ice and slid just off the runway on to the grass verge,'' Ryanair said in a statement.

In Cornwall, two people were killed and 47 others injured when a coach overturned on an icy road on Tuesday night, police said.

The victims, who were from the region, were returning from a day trip to see the Christmas lights in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole.

Britain has been hit by severe winter weather in recent days, putting a huge strain on the transport network in the pre-Christmas rush.

Eurostar is clearing a backlog of passengers stranded after trains failed over the weekend, leaving 2500 people trapped for up to 16 hours in the Channel Tunnel with no power, air conditioning, food or water.

A Eurostar spokeswoman said there were long queues at St Pancras and that all trains were full until early afternoon. The company said it was running about two-thirds of normal capacity.

Several major roads were closed in southern England after rain fell on already frozen surfaces, causing a series of accidents. Snow caused delays and cancellations at Edinburgh airport.

However, the main airports around London said they were open and operating with only a few delays and cancellations.

The cold snap has produced its own mini crime wave.

Police in Essex warned motorists not to leave their cars unattended with the engines running while the vehicles warmed up.

''We had three stolen within half an hour this morning,'' said spokesman Roger Grimwade. ''While it is sensible to defrost and warm up the car before driving off, it is much colder with no car at all.''

- Reuters