Snowfall in the southern England and north-eastern Scotland has disrupted road, rail and air services, causing accidents and delays in Essex where many schools have been closed down, while London’s Stansted Airport reopened after remaining closed for nearly three hours.

Luton and Aberdeen on Scotland’s eastern seaboard also saw delays as the season’s first snow fell in small amounts on London. In London, snow caused severe disruptions in train services from Kent, Sussex and Surrey, while authorities announced suspensions on the Piccadilly, Central and Metropolitan lines of the Underground due to icy conditions.

29 traffic alerts on icy and snowy roads were announced in London this morning, as councils rushed to get gritters and salt supplies to the worst affected areas, including Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire where up to an inch of snow fell in the early hours. Temperatures fell to as low as minus 4C in Frittenden near Tunbridge Wells in Kent and at Charlwood near Gatwick Airport.

Essex police reported 45 accidents and 10 injuries before 5.30am. A 48-year-old male cyclist was killed in an accident near Bicester in Oxfordshire. The cold weather is expected to persist until the end of the week, dominated by freezing temperatures and roving bands of snow.

Temperatures in most parts of the UK are expected to plunge on Wednesday night, reaching as low as -8C (18F), while slightly milder conditions encourage a band of rain, sleet and snow in Scotland and northern England.

Michael Dukes, director of forecasting at MeteoGroup, said, “Tomorrow morning will be a bit of a problem. Right at the end of tonight that band of rain and snow comes into Scotland and the north-west of England, falling on very, very cold roads because it will have been cold overnight.”

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