Snow causes commuter chaos in Britain

LONDON -- Snow storms and freezing temperatures caused a major disruption for commuters in parts of Britain on Thursday, forcing the closure of one London airport, cancelled flights, delayed trains and car accidents.

At London's Heathrow Airport, 150 arrivals and departures were canceled, and many others were delayed for up to four hours as crews battled to clear runways of snow and planes of ice.

In Essex county, northeast of London, 4 inches of snow had fallen, said Paul Knightley, senior meteorologist at Press Association's Weather Center. Only a few inches of snow can paralyze southern England, which rarely experiences such storms.

Strong winds and snow caused dozens of road accidents in the southern county of Cambridgeshire, police said.

Cambridgeshire police received 385 emergency calls between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and dealt with 45 serious crashes, a spokesman said.

In Ashtead, southern England, an 8-year-old schoolgirl was crushed to death when a huge tree toppled over in her school's playground. Rianna Davenport died from multiple injuries after she was trapped under the tree, which was uprooted by strong winds at West Ashtead County Primary School, police said.

Detective Chief Inspector Martin Parker of Surrey police said three other children also were injured. One had a suspected broken leg, while the other two sustained minor injuries, he added.

"This is a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the families that are involved," he said.

The weather also caused havoc in London as several train lines, including some overland sections of London's subway, were closed.

Meteorologists said severe weather warnings were in force in northern Scotland and eastern England as blizzards downed power lines and overturned vehicles.

Temperatures had dropped to 21 degrees in parts of the country, Press Association's Weather Center said.

Ice and snow blanketed parts of England and Scotland earlier this month, shutting shops, delaying trains and leaving cars broken down on roadways. Central London got its heaviest snowfall in 12 years -- 2 inches. Up to four inches fell in south London.