Winter has arrived with full force across much of western Europe. For skiers it is a case of better later than never. But road users are not too happy, particularly in France, where a number of people had to sleep in their cars overnight after roads became blocked. There were similar scenes across the border in Germany. The south of the country was hit hardest. Three people were killed in accidents on icy roads.

The extreme weather caused cancellations and delays for rail and air passengers. Stuttgart’s airport was shut down completely for a time. More than a thousand travellers endured a lengthy and uncomfortable wait. Eastern Europe has also been lashed by the latest cold snap. It brought transport chaos to the Czech Republic and neighbouring countries.

Copyright © 2012 euronews