Hundreds of drivers – perhaps thousands – were stranded in their vehicles overnight in queues of up to 30 miles long in their vehicles as snow and sub-zero temperatures made many roads impassable. Many abandoned their vehicles for service stations.
Police, snow ploughs and gritting lorries battled to treat the roads, and members of the Red Cross were out in force to help commuters and hand out food to those who had been stuck in their cars for hours (more than 10 hours for some).
The A23 between Crawley and Kent was at a standstill, along with the M23, A26, A27 and A29, after 10cm of snow fell. Areas around Dover and Folkestone were also badly hit, with delays on the M20 as lorries queued trying to get into the Channel Tunnel.
The weather continues to cause havoc this morning. Schools across Sussex, Kent and the Channel Islands are closed, and rail services face delays or outright cancellation.
Meanwhile cross-Channel Eurostar train services face severe delays in northern France.
Guernsey and Jersey Airports are shut due to snow. Some 10cm of snow has fallen on the runway in Guernsey.
The Met Office has warned that up to 10cm (4in) of snow could have accumulated in southern parts of Sussex and Kent by Tuesday morning, and has issued an amber “be prepared” warning.
Jonathan Lara, who was stuck on the M23 after taking eight hours to travel fewer than eight miles, estimated thousands of motorists were stuck on the road.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-21751026
Thanks to Sonya Porter for these links
“Kent is a county on the south coast, to the east of Sussex and south of London,” says Sonya. I live in Surrey, which is to the north of Sussex and 30 miles sw of London and here. We haven’t had snow but the temperatures have been below freezing.
“Sussex is a county on the south coast of England, opposite Normandy (see your article about snow in northern France).
“BTW, Kent means corner and Sussex is the Land of the South Saxons.”