Great Christmas getaway scuppered by snow

20/12/10 17:35 CET

world news

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Europeans are facing a race against time to be home for the holiday season as their Christmas getaway plans are scuppered by the heavy snow.

The UK, France and Germany have been the worst hit.

Hundreds of flights from London Heathrow have been scrapped, while Eurostar officals have warned passengers to stay away from Kings Cross Station as they battle to clear the backlog.

At least three hundred departures at Frankfurt Airport have been cancelled, leaving passengers stranded.

The chaos is expected to continue throughout the week with no let-up from the freezing weather in sight.

Scenes of long queues and makeshift beds were mirrored at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris where one-third of flights have been cut.

All departures out of Brussels Zaventem have been frozen until Wednesday due to a lack of de-icing liquid.

Officials from Liege and Charleroi airports in southern Belgium say both hubs could be used to to host those cancelled flights.

More about: Air traffic, Snowfall, Weather

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