Britons visiting France were told to expect white hell today as large parts of the country including Paris ground to a halt because of heavy snowfalls.
Usually high-speed Eurostar train services from London to Paris had to slow down, as services were also cancelled throughout the day.
The French capital was the worst hit by the weather as 7inch falls blocked motorways and railway lines, leaving thousands trapped in cars and stations.
By 9am on Wednesday a record 460 miles of traffic jams were logged around Paris, with 1500 lorries stacked up and at least 2000 motorists stuck in their vehicles.
A Eurostar statement read: ‘Our apologies to passengers travelling today. Due to the adverse weather conditions in the UK and in France, speed restrictions are put in place.
‘This means that your journey could be affected and that the arrival time of your train might be delayed.’
There were also early Eurostar cancellations, with the company offering compensation and help organising accommodation for stranded passengers.
All bus services ground to a halt in Paris, along with many rail and Metro services, with roads including the N118 heading south out of the city shut too.
Concerns were also growing for hundreds of migrants sleeping rough in bivouacs and tens around the city.
‘Emergency measures are being taken to look after everybody affected by the freezing weather, including those on the street,’ said a Paris council spokesman.
‘These are exceptional conditions which have created all kinds of problems for everybody.’
Around 250 people spent the night at Orly, Paris’s second airport, and close to 800 commuters tried to put their heads down in Montparnasse and Austerlitz stations.
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A spokesman for France’s Interior Ministry said there were some 2500 emergency workers including ‘police, firefighters, and gendarmes’ trying ‘to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.’
A total of 25 departments – France’s equivalent of counties – remained on freezing weather alerts as more snow was forecast.
