The long commute home: Ice cripples transport in skating rink Yorkshire

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This morning, bus services in Leeds were disrupted. West Yorkshire Police said several routes in the north-west Leeds area, including roads in Stanningley, Otley and Calverley, had been closed due to cars skidding on ice.

A force spokesman said a number of minor collisions were also reported.

Leeds City Council said primary routes in the city were being gritted.

A spokesman said bin collections were also being carried out but crews were assessing these on an individual basis depending on the conditions of the roads. Residents were being advised to put rubbish out as normal on their usual collection days.

West Yorkshire Fire Service reported a spate of incidents on icy roads, including two involving vehicles hitting buildings.

One person was taken to hospital after a car went down an embankment and ended up on the roof of a factory in Broadlands Road, Meltham, near Huddersfield. A service spokeswoman said three fire crews were at the scene.

One person from the truck was taken to hospital after the crash at 1.41am and 20 firefighters were called to the street to deal with the incident.

An earlier incident in Bruntcliffe Road, Morley, near Leeds, involved a lorry hitting a house.

One person from the truck was taken to hospital after the crash and 20 firefighters were called to the street to deal with the incident. The spokeswoman said road conditions in West Yorkshire were "hazardous".

On the railways, a reduced service ran between Leeds and London. And on First TransPennine Express, there were no services between York and Newcastle.

Kirklees Council, which covers Huddersfield, said it had reduced the number of roads it has been gritting.

A council spokesman said: "The current situation is critical. We have enough salt to do the reduced main road network for the next few days but haven't got enough to do other routes or to refill grit bins."

Conditions in North Yorkshire have been described as "treacherous" all day across the county.

The county council confirmed four of its gritting lorries left the road this morning because of the icy conditions, although none was seriously damaged and all were later back in service.

In one incident a gritter ended up in a ditch close to the village of Beckwithshaw, near Harrogate. Others got into difficulty in the Yorkshire Dales, Whitby and Skipton.

North Yorkshire Police said the whole of the force area had been affected by terrible road conditions.

A spokesman said 20 cars were stuck on the A658 near Harrogate. He said more than 40 minor road accidents were reported this morning, although none was thought to be serious.

A number of roads were closed on the highest parts of the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Highways said salt was currently only being applied to "Priority One and Priority Two roads and main town centre footways".

She said: "We are aware that the Government has indicated it wishes to see a reduction of 50% in salt use, and we are currently assessing the implications and deciding on the best way to achieve that reduction."

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it had seen a massive increase in calls following weather-related incidents.

A spokeswoman said: "This morning the service has experienced a fourfold increase in the number of 999 calls requesting ambulance assistance.

"Many calls have been for weather-related incidents for patients with injuries caused by falling over on icy surfaces.

"The weather is also causing extremely hazardous driving conditions for our ambulance crews but we are making every effort to get to patients as quickly and as safely as possible.

"We are urging people to take extra care when out walking or driving due to the treacherous conditions and ask that the public only call 999 for an ambulance in a medical emergency when it is obvious that someone has a life-threatening illness or injury."

A number of hospitals in the Yorkshire area also reported increases in fall-related injuries.

Bradford Royal Infirmary warned people with outpatient appointments not to put themselves in danger by travelling to the hospital.

Head of corporate affairs Jo Bray said: "Anyone with an outpatient appointment should not put themselves at risk on the roads and try to get to the hospital in these treacherous conditions.

"Rather than call the hospital's switchboard, patients should telephone the relevant department direct - the number will be on the appointment notification letter - and an alternative date will be arranged for them as soon as possible."

For the first time this winter, snow settled in central London, although the capital's Tube and bus services were running almost normally.

The Gatwick runway was closed at 3am and staff at the West Sussex airport were busy clearing snow.

A spokesman for the airport said: "We are making good progress but there could be further snowfall."

On the roads, the A66 was closed in both directions between the A685 near Brough in Cumbria and the A67 at Bowes in County Durham.

A section of the A628 in Derbyshire's Peak District was also shut, while snow also caused the closure of the M48 Severn Bridge.

A number of roads in the Scottish Highlands were closed, while in Oxfordshire farmers joined in the snow-clearing operation on the roads.

On the railways, some passengers caught in a five-hour delay on services run by the Southern train company last week were again involved in a big hold-up today due to a broken-down train near Oxted in Surrey.

Another broken-down train led to delays of up to 90 minutes for passengers on South West Trains services, while buses had to replace trains between Effingham Junction and Guildford in Surrey.

On the East Coast Main Line, buses replaced trains between Inverness and Perth in Scotland, while trains were not running between Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. A reduced service ran between Leeds and London.

On First TransPennine Express, there were no services between York and Newcastle.

London Overground was unable to run services between Clapham Junction and Willesden Junction, Richmond and Willesden Junction and Camden Road and Stratford.

On Southeastern, buses replaced trains between Paddock Wood and Strood, while there delays of up to 40 minutes on some Kent services.

Southern reported disruption on all routes, including services between Three Bridges and Brighton and between Selhurst and West Croydon.

Heathrow Airport reported the cancellation of 84 flights today, both arrivals and departures.

Delays on other services were also expected, with passengers advised to check with their airline before setting out.

A Heathrow spokesman said the airport had been hit with a "fair amount of snow" which was continuing to fall this morning.

He said the majority of the cancellations were short-haul and domestic flights.

He added: "The airport remains open. We have a team of 50 people, with 69 different vehicles, who have been clearing the runways, taxiways and parking stands."

Traffic Wales, the Welsh Assembly Government's traffic management website, was carrying critical traffic alerts for drivers.

Among them were the closure of the old Severn Bridge in both directions due to poor driving conditions.

The A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road was shut in both directions due to poor driving conditions.

A second section of the A4061, the Bwlch Mountain Road, was also closed in both directions due to poor conditions.

The A470 between Merthyr Tydfil and Brecon was shut in both directions with local diversions in place.

There were poor driving conditions on the A470 between Coryton and Abercynon.

On the M4 a 40mph speed restriction was in force between junction 30 Cardiff Gate and junction 22 Piling.

In West Wales, drivers were warned that conditions were poor between Red Roses and St Clears on the A477.

In Gloucestershire, most A and B roads were moving slowly but were passable with care. The M5 at Tewkesbury was down to two lanes.

In Bristol, First Bus said it expected disruption to services and would issue updates later.

Bristol International Airport remained open and railway operator First Great Western said passengers could expect some delays and cancellations.

The M48 old Severn Bridge was closed in both directions.

The M4 and M32 were passable with care but snow restricted the number of lanes open.

There were no serious problems in Somerset or Wiltshire, although conditions were poor in both counties, with some A and B roads moving slowly.

Last night, hundreds of motorists were stranded as heavy snow brought one of Devon's main roads to a standstill.

Thousands of drivers were forced to sit in their cars for hours on the A38 dual carriageway at Haldon Hill, near Exeter, unable to move.

The A38 also came to a standstill near Liskeard, Cornwall, after a spate of accidents, including two lorries which overturned near Dobwalls.

Local authorities later reported that conditions were returning to normal.