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21 December 2010
Last updated at 02:34 ET
The winter weather is continuing to cause problems across the UK, as a thaw seems unlikely for several days.
Gatwick Airport re-opened at 0600 GMT after closing overnight - with 150 staff working to clear its runways.
Heathrow Airport officials said no more than a third of all flights would operate until 0600 GMT on Wednesday.
Forecasters have predicted there will be no let-up in the freezing conditions until Boxing Day - with ongoing delays on the roads and railways.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings of widespread icy roads across most of the UK.
Airport operator BAA said Heathrow's south runway would remain closed on Tuesday and advised people not to travel to the airport unless their airline had confirmed the booking.
It also warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations, possibly up to Christmas Day.
British Airways said it was suffering "significant disruption" in and out of Heathrow, especially to its short-haul schedules.
The government has agreed to relax regulations on night flights at Heathrow, allowing for arrivals until 0100 GMT each day until Christmas, while flights into London will be allowed to operate 24 hours a day.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews has promised a thorough investigation into how Heathrow handled the freezing weather.
"When we have got every passenger and every bag where they want to be, we will crawl all over this incident to find out everything that we should learn from it," he told Channel 4 News.
"If we need to spend money on new equipment, we will do so."
In other delays:
She told the BBC she and her husband had moved to the ticket hall "as we have been told to get out of the main departure lounge, otherwise we will get escorted by the police".
And Damian McCarthy of Harpenden had to return home after spending most of the day at Gatwick with a five-year-old child.
Continue reading the main story He said other passengers were "very angry, with many refusing to leave the terminal building."
Eurostar was running a restricted service on Tuesday morning as queues of passengers again began to build up at St Pancras station in London.
The cross-channel operator asked customers booked to travel before Christmas to exchange their tickets or get a refund free of charge, if their travel was not essential.
On Monday, people queued for up to eight hours for services to the continent, which was also suffering from severe weather.
Overnight, the weather remained bitterly cold and Tuesday was starting off very icy with temperatures well below freezing, said forecasters.
BBC forecaster Carol Kirkwood said more snow was on the way, with Wales, the north of Northern Ireland and northern Scotland likely to see up to 10cm (4in).
Further south, there could be snow flurries almost anywhere, she added.
The coldest temperature overnight was -17.6C, recorded in Katesbridge in Northern Ireland and in Crosby, Merseyside.
Sub-zero temperatures will persist across almost the whole country.
The Foreign Office is warning of disruption to road, rail and air travel in France, with delays in parts of Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Motorists are being advised to check traffic and weather conditions before deciding whether to head out.
Have you been affected by the heavy snow and ice or have your travel plans been disrupted? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
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Gatwick Airport re-opened at 0600 GMT after closing overnight - with 150 staff working to clear its runways.
Heathrow Airport officials said no more than a third of all flights would operate until 0600 GMT on Wednesday.
Forecasters have predicted there will be no let-up in the freezing conditions until Boxing Day - with ongoing delays on the roads and railways.
The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings of widespread icy roads across most of the UK.
Airport operator BAA said Heathrow's south runway would remain closed on Tuesday and advised people not to travel to the airport unless their airline had confirmed the booking.
It also warned passengers to expect delays and cancellations, possibly up to Christmas Day.
British Airways said it was suffering "significant disruption" in and out of Heathrow, especially to its short-haul schedules.
The government has agreed to relax regulations on night flights at Heathrow, allowing for arrivals until 0100 GMT each day until Christmas, while flights into London will be allowed to operate 24 hours a day.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews has promised a thorough investigation into how Heathrow handled the freezing weather.
"When we have got every passenger and every bag where they want to be, we will crawl all over this incident to find out everything that we should learn from it," he told Channel 4 News.
"If we need to spend money on new equipment, we will do so."
In other delays:
- Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Birmingham, Luton, London City, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton airports all said flights would be subject to delays and cancellations
- Exeter said it hoped departures on Tuesday would run as scheduled.
- Stansted is said to be operating as normal.
She told the BBC she and her husband had moved to the ticket hall "as we have been told to get out of the main departure lounge, otherwise we will get escorted by the police".
And Damian McCarthy of Harpenden had to return home after spending most of the day at Gatwick with a five-year-old child.
Continue reading the main story He said other passengers were "very angry, with many refusing to leave the terminal building."
Eurostar was running a restricted service on Tuesday morning as queues of passengers again began to build up at St Pancras station in London.
The cross-channel operator asked customers booked to travel before Christmas to exchange their tickets or get a refund free of charge, if their travel was not essential.
On Monday, people queued for up to eight hours for services to the continent, which was also suffering from severe weather.
Overnight, the weather remained bitterly cold and Tuesday was starting off very icy with temperatures well below freezing, said forecasters.
BBC forecaster Carol Kirkwood said more snow was on the way, with Wales, the north of Northern Ireland and northern Scotland likely to see up to 10cm (4in).
Further south, there could be snow flurries almost anywhere, she added.
The coldest temperature overnight was -17.6C, recorded in Katesbridge in Northern Ireland and in Crosby, Merseyside.
Sub-zero temperatures will persist across almost the whole country.
The Foreign Office is warning of disruption to road, rail and air travel in France, with delays in parts of Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Motorists are being advised to check traffic and weather conditions before deciding whether to head out.
Have you been affected by the heavy snow and ice or have your travel plans been disrupted? You can send us your experiences using the form below:
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7725 100 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.
Read the terms and conditions
Powered by WizardRSS | Work At Home Jobs