<p><br /> Britain has grappled with travel chaos as heavy snow paralysed swathes of the country and the big chill returned with a vengeance.<br /> </p><p><br /> Motorists struggled on treacherous roads, planes were grounded and rail services cancelled on what is traditionally one of the busiest weekends of the year.<br /> </p><p><br /> It wrecked Christmas travel arrangements and shopping expeditions for people across the country.<br /> </p><p><br /> The icy conditions claimed at least another three lives - a girl in her early teens was killed in a sledging accident and a mother and her 10-year-old son died in a road crash.<br /> </p><p><br /> Meanwhile, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson and socialite Jemima Khan were among those left stranded after plunging temperatures crippled the transport network.<br /> </p><p><br /> Drivers were warned to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary as the mercury plummeted well below zero - reaching minus 15.5C in Aviemore, Scotland.<br /> </p><p><br /> Severe weather warnings were issued for most of the country.<br /> </p><p><br /> On the roads, hundreds of motorists were stuck after snow rendered the M6 in Greater Manchester impassable.<br /> </p><p><br /> Broadcaster Clarkson was among those forced to abandon his car as bad weather brought vehicles to a standstill in Oxfordshire.<br /> </p><p><br /> Though famous for tackling extreme motoring challenges, gridlock on the roads meant he had to give up on an 18-mile journey from Oxford to his own home.<br /> </p><p><br /> The county - with Surrey and Kent - was among the worst hit by heavy snow, with falls of up to 15cms.<br /> </p><p><br /> "It was very bad out there," he said. "I wasn't stuck but everyone around me was. I thought, 'I'm not going to get home tonight and it's going to get dark'."<br /> </p><p><br /> Train services were also subject to problems, with operators in the south, including Southeastern, South West Trains and Southern Railway, running reduced services.<br /> </p><p><br /> And as airports were overwhelmed by snow, Jemima Khan joined disgruntled passengers venting their irritation on the microblogging site Twitter.<br /> </p><p><br /> She wrote: "chionophilia - an obsessive love of snow. I'm more chionophobe right now. Flight home cancelled."<br /> </p><p><br /> British Airways cancelled all short-haul flights at Heathrow and all long-haul flights leaving the airport before 7pm. All its flights from Gatwick were pulled, with the exception of one flight to Sharm el Sheikh.<br /> </p><p><br /> The airline and operator BAA later apologised to those who found their Christmas getaway plans in tatters.<br /> </p><p><br /> Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and Birmingham airports all grounded planes for at least part of the day while staff battled to clear snow from the runways.<br /> </p><p><br /> Passengers also faced disruption at Exeter, London City, Aberdeen, Belfast International and Cardiff airports, while Belfast City and Southampton were also closed for a time.<br /> </p>
