Snow-hit Britain braces for transport woes

UK: Britain braced for more transport chaos Wednesday as heavy snow and freezing temperatures swept south, one day after gripping northern England and Scotland.

Blizzards hit northern parts of Britain on Tuesday, halting transport and major football fixtures, as well as closing airports and hundreds of schools.

Officials warned of "extreme weather" as the freezing conditions moved to central and southern parts of England, with as much as 40 centimetres (16 inches) of snow forecast to fall overnight in some areas.

"This is expected to cause widespread disruption to the transport network and could lead to problems with power supplies," the Met Office said.

"The public are advised to take extreme care," the forecaster warned.

Snow forced Britain's second biggest airport, Gatwick, in London, to close, while flights at Luton airport, also in the capital, were suspended.

Birmingham and Southampton airports were shut, while staff at Manchester and Liverpool airports were working to return to normal after heavy snow forced their closure Tuesday.

Forecasters said areas of Hampshire, Oxfordshire, West Berkshire, Surrey and Buckinghamshire could see "exceptionally heavy snowfall" as storms moved south. Prime Minister Gordon Brown posted a Twitter message saying: "As public services do all they can in this extreme weather, please look out for neighbours and relatives in need of assistance."

Brown earlier denied Britain was facing a gas supply crisis, after extra supplies were reportedly brought in from continental Europe to meet a 30 percent rise on normal seasonal use. AFP