Think of Spain and the south of France and all sorts of images come to mind. A snowstorm is not one of them.

Yet the white stuff has been falling in abundance on the border between the two countries, with spring just around the corner!

It is a month of March that stranded motorists there will never forget. Just like the more than 3,000 passengers forced to spend the night in trains, buses or emergency accommodation.

Locals have not had it much easier, with power cuts to thousands of homes. Many schools have been closed.

For France, the white-out comes just days after heavy storms in the west of the country left dozens dead. In Spain, some are talking about the worst snowstorm in Barcelona for decades. And, with a major traffic build-up at a blocked border, lorry drivers were facing a long and wintry wait.

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