London blanketed in 5 inches of snow as capital suffers travel chaos

London has experienced a highly unusual episode of heavy snowfall, causing widespread disruption to travel services, roads and schools.

Parts of London have been left covered in a festive blanket of snow after heavy snowfall swept through the capital on Sunday evening into Monday. Between 10-15cm of snow was recorded in some areas — a quite exceptional accumulation for a city which is regularly one of the warmest spots in the UK.

With snowfall of this kind a very rare occurrence in the city, some Londoners have been revelling in the conditions, which have given the capital a very Christmassy appearance ahead of the festive period. However, the pretty scenes have also brought widespread disruption.

Numerous flights have been cancelled at Heathrow and Gatwick, while almost all Tube lines have experienced problems associated with snow and ice on the tracks.

On the roads, the AA said the snow had created a "nightmare scenario". On some sections of the M25 motorway, drivers were trapped for hours overnight on Sunday as traffic ground to a halt, with numerous problems on the M11 and A1 as well. In addition, scores of schools were closed on Monday across the capital.

Alongside the snow, sub-zero temperatures made conditions even more treacherous. Sunday night was one of the coldest the UK has experienced so far this year, with many areas dipping below freezing and Braemar in Scotland recording a teeth-chattering -15.7°C.

There was also heavy snow in other parts of south-east England, including Sussex, Surrey and Kent.