Heavy snow cripples Britain

LONDON, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Heavy snow forced closures of London Heathrow Airport runways, transit service, schools and courthouses Monday, disrupting travel and delighting children.

An extreme weather warning was posted for England, Wales and parts of eastern Scotland as snow was forecast into Tuesday, the BBC reported.

Forecasters predict as much as 8 inches of snow may fall in some areas, Sky News reported, with transportation and transit problems expected to continue.

Besides Heathrow, London City, Luton and Southampton airports were closed while Norwich and Leeds Bradford airports reopened.

BAA warned passengers traveling to and from Heathrow and Stansted airports to expect "significant delays and cancellations."

All London buses were pulled from service because of "adverse weather and dangerous driving conditions," the BBC said, adding that some would-be passengers watched as buses drove past them without stopping.

Only the Victoria Line of London's subway system was fully operational.

Britain's Highways Agency advised that people travel only if necessary, reporting too many minor accidents "to put a number on."

Sky News weather forecaster Lucy Verasamy said the storm was pretty widespread, affecting most of central and eastern Britain.

"It has been pretty well forecast. We have been mentioning it for a few days," Verasamy said. "But there was more continuous snowfall overnight than expected. ... We haven't seen so much continuous heavy snow affect the Southeast since 1991."