Heavy snow swept Britain on Friday (January 18), disrupting road, rail and air traffic, and forcing schools to be closed.<br/> <br />Motorists were urged to avoid all but essential journeys amid strong winds, plunging temperatures and blizzards which sent several cars spinning into ditches.<br/> <br />Several airports were forced to ground flights or close after thick snow flurries.<br/> <br />Heathrow shut both runways for periods during the day, while Bristol and Birmingham airports closed for a time, with hundreds of flights cancelled and passengers stranded.<br/> <br />The weather forced nearly 2,000 schools to shut their doors, which allowed school children to play in the snow.<br/> <br />In Wales, thousands of households were left without any power.<br/> <br />Rail travellers also experienced upheaval as operators scrapped services.
