Road and rail routes across the Southeast are returning to normal after icy conditions yesterday and Thursday caused serious disruptions.

Snow fell across London on Thursday evening and early Friday and the icy conditions brought parts of the transport network shuddering to a halt.

Some commuters were stuck in their cars until midnight on Thursday and many fared little better travelling to work on Friday morning.

However temperatures have risen slightly this morning and showery weather has allowed most travel disruptions to be cleared.

Some roads, including the M25, are still affected, and Stansted Airport opened this morning after severe disruptions yesterday.

Several football matches were called off despite the warmer weather, with Leyton Orient's home game against Rochdale postponed due to the frozen pitch.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded and traffic queues jammed motorways in the southwest yesterday.

One of the worst hit was the M11 where many drivers have spent the night, many only managing to cover a few miles between the Stansted and Duxford junctions.

Tube and train services also struggled to cope, with more than 40 LU stations closed.

Tube services were still experiencing some delays today, compounded with the closure of 22 deep level stations due to the fire strike.

Dozens of schools were closed closed yesterday because snow and ice made it difficult for buses.

February 1, 2003 18:00