Travel update: Commuter misery again as winter returns with a vengeance

COMMUTERS endured more mid-winter misery today with some rail services axed or delayed and many roads treacherous.

All rail routes through York were being disrupted due to a "signalling problem", with Northern Rail having to replace trains with buses between Cattal and York.

Those trying to get around in Scotland were particularly badly affected as plunging temperatures and snow made journeying out hazardous.

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Heavy falls around Aberdeen left traffic at a standstill, with four-mile journeys taking up to four hours.

ScotRail introduced an amended timetable. There were no trains between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh, or between Ardgay and Wick.

Rail commuters attempting to reach London had to contend with a number of problems. There was disruption around Clacton in Essex which affected National Express East Anglia services.

There were delays to services run by the Southeastern train company following difficulties in the Ramsgate and Ashford areas in Kent, while overhead wire problems led to delays on the c2c London to Tilbury and Southend line.

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South West Trains' services in the West Country were delayed after animals got on to the track at Axminster in Devon.

In Wales, no trains could run between Newport and Hereford and bad road conditions meant that replacement buses could not operate. There was also no service between Holyhead and Bangor.

A series of accidents on main roads led to tailbacks and lane closures on a number of major roads in England.

There were hold-ups on the A14 in Cambridgeshire, the M40 in Buckinghamshire, the A20 in Kent and the A12 in Suffolk.