Britain braced for more snow

Questions have been asked about whether much of the disruption could have been avoided after London ground to a near halt on Monday.

Buses were cancelled and train and Tube services were badly hit when thick snow blanketed the capital.

An estimated one in five workers took the day off and thousands of schools in the south of England closed. Many remain closed on Tuesday.

Snow has created hazardous conditions in parts of the north while plummeting overnight temperatures in the south meant ice prompted the Highways Agency to repeat its warning to postpone all but essential journeys.

The lowest recorded temperature was in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, where it fell to minus 10.1C (13.8F) overnight.

There is likely to be further disruption this week with another wave of snow expected to sweep from south to north. But while many children were delighted to have a day off to play, some said school closures were adding to the problems for working parents.

Margaret Morrissey, of the Parents Outloud campaign group, said: "It is terribly difficult for parents. You've got to go to work and you've got the added problem of what to do with the children."

Stephen Alambritis, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said the economy could lose as much £3.5 billion this week as a result of weather-related disruption.

He called for more debate on solutions, adding: "One of the world's biggest economies should not be grinding to a halt."