Snow chaos amid salt shortage fears

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Airports were forced to shut runways while trains and bus services were disrupted yet again after some regions were blanketed with eight inches by blizzards.

Snow settled in south Wales, western England, the Midlands, counties to the north of London, Northern Ireland and Scotland. And with forecasters warning that the freezing blast will continue into the weekend, concerns over dwindling salt supplies were heightened.

Some councils said they were now using salt only on major routes, and Britain's biggest salt supplier, Cheshire-based Salt Union, said staff were working round the clock but still could not meet demand.

Cleveland Potash, the Highways Agency's second supplier, said it had arranged for 40,000 tonnes of salt to be imported from its sister mine in Spain to meet the increased demand. Hertfordshire County Council, one of the councils which said stocks were running low, said it was seeking additional supplies from abroad.

Tom Tobler, forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said snowfalls will return south over the next 24 hours. The South West - and possibly eastern areas, including London - could be hit on Friday.

In similar scenes to Monday's weather, which stopped millions getting to work, airports, railways and roads were hit hard. Luton Airport cancelled 13 flights as clearing work took place and planes were also unable to land and take off from Belfast City airport, Robin Hood International Airport, near Doncaster, and Aberdeen.

The runway at East Midlands Airport near Derby was briefly closed as staff worked to clear it, while Birmingham Airport remained open with temporary runway closures.

The railways endured a fourth successive day of disruption. Passengers were warned they faced disrupted train services in several areas, including Wales, the Midlands, the South West and Yorkshire.

The Highways Agency repeated its warnings for drivers to take extra care, particularly on the M4 and M5 in Wiltshire, where driving conditions were especially dangerous.