Red alert, delays as heavy winter hits UK, Europe

Heavy snow and freezing conditions are causing delays in many parts of Britain, with roads and train service hit particularly hard.
Many rail systems were disrupted, in the northern and eastern parts of Britain, and several lines of London’s subway system were experiencing severe delays, including the Piccadilly Line that links central London to Heathrow Airport.
Train service to Gatwick Airport was also slowed by wintry weather.
Emergency officials said many drivers had to be rescued from stranded vehicles. Hundreds of schools were shut for a second day in a row.
The weather also forced a number of hospitals to cancel elective procedures and outpatient care.
In Denmark, police say a 54-year-old man who suffered from dementia was found dead in the snow on the Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

Dr. Leslie Adogame, a Nigerian environmentalist and Executive Director of Sustainable Research and Action for Development (SRADev Nigeria) who is presently in Edinburgh, Scotland took to his Facebook page on Wednesday displaying pictures of snow covered roads.
Adogame said the extremity of the snow is climate related.
In a chat with Ecogreennews, Adogame went further, “With the worsen weather, what countries can do for now is strengthen resilience and adaptability. The extremity is climate related, no doubt. Fortunately, nations have long term mitigation strategies in place already. So living sustainably in this period is about resilience and adaptation”.
The Met Office on Wednesday issued a red weather warning for snow – meaning a risk to life and widespread damage – has been issued, as the “Beast from the East” continues to hold Britain in a dangerously icy grip.
The Met Office set its highest level of alert for the central belt of Scotland, meaning extreme weather is expected between 3pm on Wednesday and 10am on Thursday with up to 40cm (15in) of snow predicted and “blizzard-like” conditions.
It urged people to “take action now” to protect themselves – warning of blocked roads, stranded vehicles, “long interruptions” to power and the risk of communities being cut off “for several days”.
ScotRail, which has already cancelled services and will not be running trains in the red alert area on Wednesday night or Thursday, told passengers they should “head for home NOW”.
The alert came as heavy snow and freezing temperatures continued to cause transport havoc across the UK after a night in which temperatures dropped to lows of -11C (12.2F).
On another day of disruption, several major roads were closed after emergency services rescued stranded motorists overnight and dealt with multiple crashes.
Police across the country advised motorists to avoid driving if possible due to poor visibility and treacherous conditions.
Hundreds of schools were closed for a second day as several more centimetres of snow fell in some parts on Tuesday night.
Public transport is again widely affected, with many rail operators reporting that disruption will continue throughout Wednesday and more flights expected to be cancelled. Glasgow airport announced the suspension of all flights for the rest of the day.