D Thursday, January 7, 2010 News UK transport chaos as big freeze lingersBRITAINS big freeze showed no sign of easing yesterday as heavy snow again brought vast swathes of the region to a virtual standstill. Hospitals cancelled operations, the army was drafted in to rescue motorists and emergency moves to ease the grit- ting crisis were called for as a further 47cm (1.5ft) of snow fell in some parts. Crucial transport networks went into meltdown during heavy flurries across the south while hundreds of thousands of children enjoyed an extension to their holidays after schools were closed. With millions unable to get into work on a day estimated to have cost busi- nesses 690million (767m), forecast- ers warned the misery will continue well into next week. After striking Scotland and the north of England, the heavy snowfall moved south towards London. Clare Allen, a forecaster with Meteo- Group, said parts of Kent would be worst hit, adding: In terms of the over- all cold snap, there is no sign of it com- ing to an end it goes on as long as we can read into next week. With airports shut, roads closed and train journeys cancelled, people ventur- ing out were advised to do so only if completely necessary. Meanwhile, hundreds of stranded mo- torists had to be rescued by the Army after drivers were trapped overnight on the A3 in Hampshire. And the runway at one of the biggest airports Gatwick in West Sussex was forced to close, with more than 80 flights cancelled. In Gloucestershire, a group of elderly people had to be rescued after being snowed in at a day centre for more than 24 hours without adequate supplies. In Nottinghamshire, an eight-year-old boy had to be airlifted to hospital for a kidney transplant after getting stuck be- cause of the freezing weather, while mountain rescue teams and a police helicopter were called in to search for a 36-year-old man who went missing in sub-zero temperatures. An elderly man died after his car went out of control on an icy road in Hamp- shire, while a six-year-old boy remains in a critical condition in hospital after plunging through ice into a pond in Berkshire. The lowest temperatures recorded overnight were -13C in Aboyne, Aber- deenshire, and -10.3C in Marham, Norfolk. Parts of the northern High- lands recorded 47cm (18.5in) of snow, MeteoGroup said. By Ronan McDaid Boy, 8, is found outside in cold A BOY of eight was discovered yesterday sitting outside a shop in freezing weather conditions in Derry in Northern Ireland. A taxi driver found him at about 6.30am in the Ballymagroarty area of Derry when the temperature had dropped to about -1C. The driver wrapped him in a blanket and called an ambulance, which took him to Altnagelvin Hospital. Social services and police are investigating. Local SDLP councillor Mark H Durkan said he was alarmed at the incident. A lone cyclist battles bravely up a hill passing snow- blanketed vehicles during a snow storm in Fleet, Hampshire, in England Picture: PA Sculptures surrounding the base of a statue depicting Prussian Emperor Frederic the Great on horseback are covered in snow in Berlin Picture: Getty index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html