Misery as snow brings new chaos

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More than 200 schools were closed and roads and railways were hit as the coldest winter since the 1980s continued – with weather experts warning of more bad weather on the way.

Flights were temporarily suspended at Birmingham Airport which closed for more than three hours this morning for the runway to be cleared. Flights to Brussels, Amsterdam, Munich and Paris were among the worst affected.

National Express West Midlands said buses were keeping to main roads because side routes were too treacherous.

Birmingham Airport spokeswoman Joanne Hunt said: "Safety is always our priority for passengers."

Passengers at Luton and East Midlands Airports also faced delays this morning while its runways were cleared of snow.

Grit was today feared to be running out across the region as some roads were left resembling icerinks. A number of main roads in Birmingham appeared to have not been gritted this morning, leading to problems for drivers. The city council said it was awaiting more supplies of grit to see it through the weekend.

Worcestershire County Council has admitted it is facing problems with grit supplies following "massive demands".

Rail operators said trains were running in the region as normal this morning, but warned that there may be problems later today due to the continued snow fall.

Network Rail spokesman Nick King: "There are no major issues in the West Midlands and the trains are running normally but with the snow getting worse, the situation could deterioirate at any moment."