Title : UK Weather: Black Monday sees snow turn into deadly ice
link : UK Weather: Black Monday sees snow turn into deadly ice
UK Weather: Black Monday sees snow turn into deadly ice
- 'Black Monday' today with more snow due and swathes of ice on the roads as temperatures drop to -12.2C
- 2,300 schools across Britain closed including 500 in Wales, 400 in Birmingham and 300 in Staffordshire
- 50,000 British Airways passengers stranded after dozens of flights were cancelled at London Heathrow
- Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, Great Western, and Virgin Trains have all been hit by bad weather today
- 4,500 homes remain without power in UK after engineers worked through the night to try to restore it
- Met Office has issued weather warning for ice in the UK and more snow is forecast, especially in Midlands
- More than a foot of snow fell in Mid Wales yesterday while other areas have seen six inches on the ground
Britain is suffering a chaotic 'Black Monday' today with more snow due and swathes of treacherous ice on the roads as temperatures dropped to -12C overnight.
Much of the country has been paralysed in the last 24 hours following the first serious snowfall of winter - and today more than 2,000 schools are closed and at least 4,500 homes remain without power.
Cars have been abandoned and motorists left stranded as some suffered crashes on the roads - while thousands spent the night at Heathrow, Birmingham, Stansted and Luton airports after flights were delayed or cancelled.
Some 50,000 British Airways passengers are stranded - 30,000 in the UK and 20,000 in Europe - after a bitingly cold night which saw temperatures fall to -12.2C (10F) in the aptly-named Chillingham Barns, Northumberland.
National Rail said poor weather is affecting travel. Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, Great Western, and Virgin Trains have all been hit, while East Midlands Trains customers are being advised to check their trains are running.
Treacherous conditions on the road leading into Hastings in East Sussex this morning, with heavy snowfall still continuing
A plough clears snow at Ysgol Clywedog High School in Wrexham, North Wales, this morning
A passenger sleeps on a seat at London Heathrow's Terminal Five after yesterday's snow continues to affect transport today
A Jubilee line train leaves Stanmore station in North London this morning as it travels towards Stratford in the snow
Cancelled flights are displayed at Heathrow's Terminal Five after bad weather conditions continue to affect flights
A sign warns of an icy road as a driver navigates his snow-covered car along a road in Hockley, Birmingham, today
A van driver slowly navigates round an icy corner in Hockley, Birmingham, as a warning for ice is issued for the Midlands
Twitter users complained about schools in Britain closing and compared the UK's reaction to that of Sweden and Canada
Eurostar apologised this morning to passengers travelling between Brussels or Paris and London, saying that journeys could be delayed 'due to predicted adverse weather conditions in the UK and the rest of Europe'.
Police said lane three on the M42 in the West Midlands, between junctions 1 and 3, and lane three on the M5 between junction 4a and junction 3, were impassable, with only lanes one and two running on both motorways.
The slip road to Stansted on the M11 eastbound was closed overnight for carriageway treatment due to freezing temperatures, according to Highways England, while Transport for London said its services may be affected later.
Meanwhile a Santa's grotto at Dudley Zoo in the West Midlands had to close for the day because the snowy conditions made its location on top of a steep hill too difficult for visitors to access.
Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Heathrow, seven at Edinburgh airport, and 13 at Manchester. One passenger at Cardiff said there were 'no bags, no communication (and) broken vending machines, so no food.'
BBC Persian TV business correspondent Amir Paivar tweeted: 'National carrier or budget airline? A tiny trace of snow and British Airways flights cancelled, website crashed, phone lines inundated and no answer!'
Tala Hajaj, a freelance hair stylist from Sidcup, Kent, told MailOnline her 70-year-old disabled mother was forced to wait ten hours yesterday for her BA flight to Riyadh from Heathrow, only to be told it was cancelled.
The current snow cover over Britain is pictured in this Ventusky graphic, with Wales and Northern Scotland heavily affected
An intense area of low pressure has moved over central parts of France today, with 100 mph wind gusts. This low will move northeast through the rest of today, with heavy rain and strong winds expected along with heavy snow across the Alps http://pic.twitter.com/rOOSnHt5Vm
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 11, 2017
A snow covered hill and roof tops near Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire this morning
Snowfall in Yardley and around the A45 Coventry Road in Birmingham this morning
A stag in the beautiful snowy landscape at Loch Tulla Viewpoint in Argyle and Bute this morning
Snow-covered fields around Ballycarroll townland in Aghnahily, County Laois, in the Republic of Ireland
Having waited hours to board her flight she then spent two hours sitting on the aircraft, waiting for it to depart. But everyone was then told to disembark the aircraft.
Miss Hajaj said: 'I was on the phone and I could hear her asking staff and they were just completely ignoring her... she said all the information and check-in desks had closed. I then decided to go and pick her up as she was crying.
'When I got there, there was no staff to help and she still didn't even have her luggage back. My mum is 70 years of age, disabled and very fragile, but they offered no food or drinks.'
The road chaos and school closures angered DailyMail.com US Editor-at-Large Piers Morgan, who said on ITV's Good Morning Britain today that the authorities should have acted quicker with getting gritters on the road.
The presenter said: 'Can we get a grip when it snows a bit? If you go to somewhere like New York that has inches of snow drift, if the mayor hasn't got everything sorted then there would be hell on.'
Reacting to the school closures, one Twitter user said: 'When I lived in Sweden as a kid I can only remember school being closed due to the snow once in my nine years going to school. And here it's closed over nothing.'
Snow-covered hills around the Holy Trinity Anglican church in Aghnahily, County Laois, today
Walkers visit the snow-covered ruins of Dunamase Castle on the Rock of Dunamase in Aghnahily, County Laois
Sheep graze in a snow covered field near Wrexham, North Wales, today as heavy snowfall blankets the area
Visitors sledge down a hill at Bradgate Park after snowfall in Newtown Linford in Leicestershire today
A couple walk with sledges in Bradgate Park, Lincolnshire, after snow fall in Newtown Linford
A boy slides on an inflatable tube at Bradgate Park in Leicestershire as he makes the most of the snowfall today
Snow falls in Barnet, North London, today after 2,300 schools across Britain were closed due to the cold weather and snow
Underhill School in Barnet, North London, is one of thousands of schools that has been closed across Britain today
Another added: 'OK you lot might have a duvet day because there's too much ice out there and the school is closed, but some of us have got to keep the economy going... laters!'
Kenton Keithly, 65, of Woodland, California, was stranded in Newcastle after his connecting flight to Heathrow was cancelled on Sunday and he must wait until Tuesday to return to San Francisco.
He said: 'Speaking with other passengers in the line last night, we all agreed that BA has learned nothing from seven years ago and Heathrow have failed to address the issue of having enough de-icers to cope with demand when needed. Britain obviously doesn't do well in winter. Everything breaks down.'
Gersende Pommery, who lives in South London, travelling with her five-month-old daughter, Emma, experienced 'chaos' at Gatwick Airport this morning and a cancelled flight at the last moment.
Ms Pommery told MailOnline that she was trying to get to Nice with easyJet to visit her French relatives and continuously checked the carrier's updates throughout the morning on her journey to the airport, to make sure the flight was on time.
Passengers queue up for information on easyJet flights at London Gatwick Airport today
A family walk through snow-covered woodland with a sledge near Mold in North Wales this morning
Heavy snowfall in Rednal, Birmingham, following severe snow fall overnight and over the weekend
A van with an overhang of snow on its roof drives along a road in Winson Green, Birmingham, this morning
A deserted snowfall in Rednal, Birmingham, following severe snowfall in the West Midlands overnight
Sheep brave the snow and freezing temperatures in the Derbyshire countryside this morning
Cars sit in the driveway at a home in Rednal, Birmingham, this morning after Britain was hit by heavy snowfall
Sandwell Council in the West Midlands said this huge snowball had been dumped in the middle of a road in Bearwood
The airline said the flight was running as scheduled and she was allowed to check in her luggage. But when she got to the security gate, staff refused her access and she was told to go back.
A member of staff then confirmed her lunchtime flight was cancelled. Ms Pommery said that there was chaos, with a queue of about 200 people trying to find out what was going on at the easyJet customer service desk.
A Heathrow spokesman apologised for the continued disruption and said: 'Flights at Heathrow are disrupted today due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday's weather.
'Before coming to the airport, passengers must check their flight status with their airline. If the status of your flight is cancelled, please do not travel to the airport, keep updated via the airline's website.
'The safety and comfort of our passengers is always our first priority and we are working closely with our airlines to ensure affected passengers are looked after.
'We apologise to those whose travel has been impacted and regret the inconveniences that have been caused.'
Michael Owen's Bentley car was damaged after he parked under a tree only for the branches to collapse on top because of the weight of snow. The ex-footballer tweeted: 'Not ideal at 5.30am when you've got a train to catch!'
Nearly 500 schools in Wales and hundreds more in England have been closed at the start of the working week, and a chilly day is forecast, with a yellow warning for ice is in place for most of Wales and central England.
Highways England has been working to keep motorways and major A-roads clear of snow and ice. It said thousands of tonnes of salt has been spread on the M5, M6, M40, M42, M69, and the A5 and A49, with gritting crews also targeting the M1
Snow on the coast at Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, this morning as motorists are being warned of havoc on the roads
Heavy snow in the aptly-named village of Snowshill in Gloucestershire this morning
A woman walks through the heavy snow in the Gloucestershire village of Snowshill this morning
A woman and her dog walk through Boden Boo, a nature reserve in Erskine near Glasgow, this morning
Sheep graze in the snow in the Gloucestershire village of Snowshill this morning
A motorist has been reported for careless driving after clearing only a small gap in their snow-covered windscreen. The driver could see through less than half of the windscreen after only wiping the glass in front of their seat. Traffic police pulled over the offending vehicle in Harlow, Essex, shortly before midnight. Inspector Matt Allsop tweeted: 'My officers just came across this while on patrol in Harlow, driver reported for Careless driving!' He also posted a picture of the snow-covered vehicle.
Tonight, temperatures could drop as low as -15C (5F), which would make it the coldest night of the year; beating the current 2017 record set only on Saturday when Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands fell to -12.4C (10F).
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: 'It was chilly in Chillingham Barnes, but it wasn't the coldest night of 2017 - that was Saturday night when temperatures went down to -12.4C. We could well beat that tonight.'
His colleague Grahame Madge added: 'We are not expecting too much more in terms of fresh snowfall and the risk now transfers to ice. We have got fairly widespread clear skies, which will bring temperatures down and where there is lying snow, that creates an ice risk.'
He said a weather front coming in from France would affect the east coast and South East, bringing with it wintry showers, and possibly snow, but he added it would be 'nothing like what we've seen already'.
More than 200 schools will be closed in Gloucestershire, and more than 100 in Shropshire. Yesterday, more than a foot of snow fell in Sennybridge in Mid Wales which saw 32cm (12.5 inches).
Western Power Distribution said engineers worked through the night to restore power to 99,500 homes in the Midlands, South Wales and South West but 7,000 customers were still without electricity.
Some 6,500 of these were in the West Midlands. SSE said they restored power to more than 50,000 customers yesterday but 800 in Oxfordshire and parts of Wiltshire remained without power at 8am today.
Police in Cheshire published a photograph of a badly damaged BMW 3 Series that crashed overnight and said: 'Current weather conditions make driving tricky - but if you drive extremely poorly, this is what happens'.
Brandwood Police in the West Midlands force area tweeted: 'A number of vehicles seen driving around with 30cm+ (1ft) worth of snow on the roof and bonnet. If you brake or accelerate harshly, where do you think that snow will end up - and how will it affect you and others driving?'
On the M40 in Warwickshire motorists said they saw no gritters and that it was a death trap. Driver Carl Palmer witnessed a crash and said it was 'like a war-zone, with crashed cars everywhere, others spinning around'.
As motorists face further havoc on the roads today, Highways England insisted it had done its job properly but blamed a lack of traffic for not spreading enough salt across the roads.
A spokesman said: 'There was a lot of snow, and the action of the salt relies on traffic, and it was a Sunday and the emergency services were telling people not drive, so there were not enough cars for it to be effective'.
Schoolchildren and commuters walk through the snow in Stanmore, North London, this morning
A snowy landscape over Winter Hill in Bolton is seen from Holcombe in Lancashire this morning
A stag in the snowy landscape at Loch Tulla Viewpoint in Argyle and Bute this morning
Snow covers hills looking towards Scout Moor Wind Farm in Lancashire this morning
The Dashwood Mausoleum stands from the snow covered hills near West Wycombe, Buckinghamshire
The A40 in South Wales was closed in both directions due to a fallen tree and snow. The incident is mainly affecting traffic between Llandovery and Halfway, with the road expected to be shut for several hours.
Rhian Gowen, who saw the tree fall, said: 'This tree came down in front of us and crushed the camper van. We were just shocked as it fell on the van right in front of us and we had only just moved from the very spot it fell.'
Elsewhere, flooding has affected parts of Wales, including Port Talbot where a stream burst its banks. Near Bridgend, in Kenfig Hill, two women had to be rescued by fire crews after their car became stuck in water.
Birmingham is expected to be worst hit - with all schools in the city shut, bus services scrapped and bin collections abandoned. Some 200,000 children will have an extra day off after the decision by the city centre.
Bin collections in the city were cancelled because it was 'not safe for people to take their rubbish out'. Other schools across the country are also closed today as yesterday saw the effect of a so-called 'snow bomb'.
This happens when moist air from the Atlantic comes up against a rapidly increasing whirlpool of violently strong winds and storms from the Arctic.
Meanwhile thousands of homes were left without power, and events were cancelled – including, ironically, the ice rink at the Quays in Gloucester. Northampton's Igloo cinema was also shut because of the bad weather.
St Albans Christmas market in the Vintry Gardens of the Hertfordshire town closed today because of the conditions. It was also shut yesterday after traders struggled to get in, and the local area was covered in ice.
Police in Cheshire posted this photo of a BMW car after it crashed, saying: 'If you drive extremely poorly this is what happens'
Branches of a tree weighed down by snow fell on top of former England footballer Michael Owen's Bentley car overnight
Owen tweeted: 'Not ideal at 5:30am when you've got a train to catch! Thought I was clever sheltering my car from the snow!'
Thousands were stranded at London Airport Heathrow (pictured) with many more forced to sleep in other UK terminals
Armed police were at the BA check-in today with 50,000 of the airline's customers said to be stranded in Britain or Europe
Shopping outlet Bicester Village in Oxfordshire was left without electricity, and was forced to close early at midday, while a Christmas market in Lincolnshire was also shut, to the frustration of shoppers.
The travel chaos is continuing today, with forecasters warning of treacherous conditions on the roads as freezing overnight temperatures turn the snow into deadly black ice.
Chilly in Chillingham!
The coldest place in Britain last night was the aptly-named Chillingham Barns.
Temperatures in the Northumberland village fell as low as -12.2C (10F) last night, making it the second coldest night of the year.
The village, which sits about 20 miles from the Scotland-England border, is known for its 13th century, Grade I-listed medieval castle.
The current 2017 record was set only on Saturday when Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands fell to -12.4C (10F).
The RAC said 'Black Monday' is set to be one of its busiest days for ten years, with an estimated 11,000 call-outs. The Met Office has issued a warning for ice covering central and southern England and northern Scotland.
Birmingham City Council said its schools were closed due to the 'recent adverse weather and forecast for freezing conditions'.
Colin Diamond, Birmingham's children's director, said even if pupils could walk to school, the council could not guarantee there would be enough staff there to look after them.
Schools were also set to shut in Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Worcestershire, even though little snow was expected to fall today.
In Gloucestershire, more than 60 schools will be closed, as well as more than 50 in Worcestershire, and 75 in Powys.
Other closures were announced in Shropshire, Essex, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Buckinghamshire.
Even schools in London were planning to shut their doors today. Drapers Academy, which runs a number of schools in Romford, east London, said it was closing because staff did not think they would be able to get in.
But while some parents welcomed a 'snow day', others were incredulous.
Michelle Skeels wrote on Facebook: 'How ridiculous... it will be melted by tomorrow.' Margaret Morrissey, of campaign group Parents Outloud, said: 'I think the schools are too quick to close, it is the easy option.
'I think the decision to close all of the schools in a city as big as Birmingham is quite frankly ridiculous.'
Ho, ho, ho! Santa takes advantage of the snow to spread cheer on skis after tying a rope to the back of a 4x4
This is the hilarious moment Santa took advantage of the snow to spread cheer throughout a village on skis after tying a rope to the back of a 4x4.
Simon Wilson, 26, bought a Father Christmas suit, borrowed some old skis and rallied his friends after he woke to a blanket of snow on Saturday. He spent hours being pulled through the streets of Rhosllanerchrugog, North Wales.
A video shows him high-fiving children who stopped and stared from the pavement - even handing out chocolates. He bids 'merry Christmas' to elderly neighbours staring from their doorways and windows as he glides past their homes.
Simon Wilson bought a Father Christmas suit, borrowed some old skis and rallied his friends after he woke to a blanket of snow
The 26-year-old spent hours being pulled through the streets of Rhosllanerchrugog, North Wales
He said: 'I have wanted to do something like this for ages but obviously you have to wait for the right weather.It came overnight so I went to Tesco and bought an outfit, and then went to Wickes and bought the pipe and rope to tie to the car.
'I rang round to see who I could find with a 4x4. Most people thought I was crazy but one lad in the village said 'of course, no problem'. I haven't skied since I was 15 and that was only once with school but somehow I only fell over twice.
'I was really, really nice and good fun actually. I thought it would be fun, but actually when I got going and all the children were looking out to see Santa. It was really nice. People were waving and saying hello.'
He bids 'merry Christmas' to elderly neighbours staring from their doorways and windows as he glides past their homes
(From left) Leighton, who owns one 4x4; Mr Wilson, dressed as Santa; Joe Pye, a filmmaker with the drone; Harley, who helped with ropes; and Jamie, another 4x4 owner
The heaviest snowfall yesterday was in Sennybridge, in the Brecon Beacons, where over a foot was recorded, making roads impassable. In England nearly seven inches was recorded in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.
The Met Office has issued an ice and snow warning for the UK
Motorists endured gridlock as they battled the treacherous conditions. Many motorways were closed temporarily, and there were severe delays on the M25, with 'multiple incidents' of vehicles crashing into others.
Meanwhile Highways England claimed the snow chaos on the M40, where hundreds of cars were stranded, was caused by a lack of vehicles on the road.
The agency said it had deployed eight gritters to the motorway in Warwickshire but that the rock salt was not spread adequately by drivers.
A spokesman said: 'There was a lot of snow, and the action of the salt relies on traffic, and it was a Sunday and the emergency services were telling people not drive, so there were not enough cars for it to be effective.'
It was described as looking 'like a war-zone' after a series of crashes on Sunday.
Furious drivers took to social media, accusing local councils and Highways England of failing to grit many roads.
Rail passengers also endured major disruption, with most operators announcing delays and cancellations, while travellers in areas with the heaviest snowfall were advised not to go out at all.
Yesterday evening, Network Rail announced no CrossCountry trains would run between Birmingham and Bristol in both directions because of a landslide caused by the extreme weather.
Buses were also affected, as National Express West Midlands announced yesterday evening that all its bus and coach services across Birmingham and the West Midlands had been 'suspended until further notice'.
Sledger, 21, suffers severe injuries when his makeshift toboggan plunges into a snow-covered ravine
A young sledger suffered 'potentially severe injuries' when his makeshift toboggan plunged into a snow-covered ravine.
The 21-year-old man was rescued by helicopter after crashing down 30ft and suffering injuries to his pelvis and thigh.
Footage taken from the hill in Ton Pentre, Rhondda, South Wales, showed the man being winched up by the UK Search and Rescue St Athan team helicopter.
The 21-year-old man was rescued by helicopter after crashing down 30ft and suffering injuries to his pelvis and thigh
Footage taken from the hill in Ton Pentre, Rhondda, South Wales, showed the man being winched up by a helicopter
The thrillseeker, who was then taken by ambulance to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, had been making the most of heavy snowfall yesterday evening.
Mark Moran, team leader for the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team who helped with the rescue, said: 'The bank was very steep. We couldn't see anyone else sledging there and I wouldn't have fancied it to be honest.'
Another man was also rescued by helicopter on Sunday after falling almost 330ft while climbing Tryfan mountain in Snowdonia, North Wales.
The 24-year-old suffered multiple injuries to his chest and shoulder and was stretchered off the mountain by a RAF Valley helicopter team.
Passengers complained of being trapped on a British Airways plane at Heathrow for more than four hours while receiving little information from the airline.
Another four BA flights bound for the airport were diverted 300 miles away to Newcastle. People also suffered at home, as up to 24,000 homes in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire had their electricity cut off after snow and wind blew branches into the overhead network.
Thousands more homes across the South West of England, West Midlands and Wales were affected by power cuts.
In the West Midlands, the Heart of England Trust said it was inundated with offers of help after it put out an appeal on Twitter for drivers of 4x4 vehicles to ferry nurses to hospitals.
Forecasters said high pressure will move across the UK tomorrow, bringing widespread fine and dry but still cold conditions.
However, the Met Office said it was also keeping an eye on 'Storm Ana', which could bring wet and windy weather to parts of southern England – not to mention the potential for more snow.
A Dover-bound ferry with more than 300 people aboard ran aground at Calais yesterday afternoon as high winds battered the port. Passengers were stranded for two hours before the vessel was refloated. No one was injured.
Surfers in the North Sea at Tynemouth this morning following a weekend wintry blast
Snow blankets the countryside near Ruthin in North Wales this morning
People try to sleep in the departure hall following delays due to snow at London Heathrow Airport
Armed police stand guard at London Heathrow Airport as passengers face a second day of delays
Passengers try to get some sleep as they wait for their delayed flight at London Heathrow Airport this morning
Now that's one way to get around! Young child in a helmet is towed through the snow on a sledge by a 4x4
This is the moment a young child in a helmet was towed through the snow on a sledge by a man in his 4x4.
Surprised onlookers spotted the youngster hitching a ride on a red plastic sledge as the Mitsubishi L200 drove past them.
A woman called out to the child who looked towards the camera in the village of Ley Hill near Chesham, Buckinghamshire
This is the moment a young child in a helmet was towed through the snow on a sledge by a man in his 4x4 in Buckinghamshire
Surprised onlookers spotted the youngster hitching a ride on a red plastic sledge as the Mitsubishi L200 drove past them
A woman called out to the child who looked towards the camera in the village of Ley Hill near Chesham
Families' fury as TUI cancels dream Christmas trip to Lapland because it's TOO COLD only to offer a meagre £50 compensation
BY KEILIGH BAKER FOR MAILONLINE
Children were left devastated after their dream holiday to see Father Christmas was cancelled at the last minute when their plane was grounded because of the cold weather.
And their angry parents have now slammed the travel company behind the trip, TUI Airways, after it just offered them a £50 holiday voucher in compensation in addition to a full refund.
Paul Compton, 67, and wife Christine, 66, were part of a group of eight including their two six year-old grandchildren, which paid £4,000 for the trip from Newcastle International Airport yesterday morning.
Paul Compton, 67, and wife Christine, 66, were part of a group of eight including their two six year-old grandchildren, which paid £4,000 for the trip from Newcastle International Airport
It was due to take off at 7.15am but was eventually cancelled at 9.45am because of technical difficulties due to the cold weather, leaving the passengers distraught.
Mr Compton, of Forest Hall, North Tyneside, said: 'It was awful. There were children and even adults crying. We bought our tickets last January and have been looking forward to it all year.
'My grandchildren weren't told until the morning of the flight when they were woken up at 4am and told they're off to Lapland see Santa.
'The trip included a reindeer sleigh ride, a ride on a husky sled, snowmobiling and of course a chance to meet Santa. They were so excited. And then we get to the airport and it's called off. You can imagine how any child would have taken that news.'
He said after they went through check-in and got to the departure lounge there had been rumours something wasn't right.
'There was talk of problems de-icing the windscreen of the plane,' he said.
Just before the 7.15am departure time a 30 minute delay was announced. Then at 8.15am another announcement said take off had been put back to 9am. Later, at 9am passengers were told it had been cancelled altogether.
Mr Compton said the disappointment of the cancellation was compounded by TUI's handling of it.
'I understand things can go wrong and would rather have a fault identified when the plane is on the ground and not in the air,' he said.
Mr Compton, of Forest Hall, Tyneside, said: 'It was awful. There were children and even adults crying'
'But there didn't seem to be any TUI staff explaining what was going on. No-one seemed to know anything. There was a lack of communication.
'We were all stuck at the departure gate and it was freezing. There wasn't even any offer of tea or coffee.'
He said even after the flight was cancelled they had to hang around even longer.
'We were told to wait for a letter before we left the airport saying the flight had been cancelled,' he said. 'Something to do with compensation.
Then at 9.15am there was another announcement saying they couldn't give us letters as there was a power outage affecting the printer so could we leave out email address for them to get in touch.'
Passengers were contacted by TUI early Sunday afternoon with the offer of a £50 holiday voucher as well as a full refund or the chance to re-book on another flight free of charge.
Mr Compton said: 'I'd be in no rush to travel with TUI in case it happened again. You wouldn't want to put the kids through that.
'The £50 doesn't cover the money that people lost - like for insurance and car parking costs. It would be a nice gesture of TUI if it were to lay on a special party for the kids affected.'
Another passenger, Michael Turnbull, was equally unimpressed with the £50 offer. He asked: 'How is this going to cover their shattered dreams!'
A TUI spokesman said: 'TUI airways would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers affected by the cancellation of flight TOM1792 from Newcastle to Kittila due to a technical fault to the aircraft as a result of adverse weather conditions.
'Customers affected that were due to depart to Kittila are being kept up to date with the latest information and can contact us to move their holiday to an alternative date free of charge or can cancel their holiday free of charge and receive a full refund.'
Emu named 'Farage' makes a quick BEAKSIT! 'Flabbergasted' locals watch three men chase giant bird around a snowy churchyard then grapple it with a headlock
A runaway emu has been returned home after being chased around a churchyard and put into a headlock.
The huge bird named 'Farage' escaped from its home and was seen fleeing through the snow by bemused residents. Matthew Devonport was 'flabbergasted' to watch three men chasing after the emu and encouraging it to return home.
He said: 'I was going up to the recreation ground with my son George and his two friends Sid and Fred Payne. We came up to the churchyard and there was an emu there running through the gravestones.
An emu named 'Farage' escaped from its home in Tollesbury, Essex, and was seen fleeing through the snow by bemused residents
'It was being chased round the churchyard, the other side of the church is where it lives. Around three men cornered it and kind of shooed it to the other side where it lives.'
The emu lives with its owner in Tollesbury, Essex, and made its grand escape to play in the snow at around 11am on Saturday. Mr Devonport added: 'Some kind of argument broke out about how it managed to get out.
'An older lady was there who was the owner. One of the men managed to get it in a head lock by its neck and he was took back home. It left a trail of feathers all around the churchyard!
'The lady was very grateful and shook the men's hands. I was absolutely flabbergasted! Nothing like this ever happens in Tollesbury!'
Harriet Balcombe said on Twitter: 'Tollesbury's resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home.'@jazz-emson also wrote: 'Only in tollesbury would you see an emu escaping in the snow.'
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