Airline Brits stranded in snowy LA

A freak snowstorm in California brought travel chaos to hundreds of British tourists who were left stranded on board their Virgin Atlantic plane for more than 20 hours.

The passengers - among them Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr - were first delayed by technical problems and then the freak weather last night.

One passenger said: "We were delayed at Heathrow for two hours because of a problem loading the bags.

"Then, as we got towards Los Angeles, the pilot said there was a massive storm in the area and we would have to divert.

"We landed in Ontario, which is near San Diego, but they had nobody there from customs so we were kept on the plane until they decided what to do with us." Firefighters in Los Angeles said the storm - which came two weeks after forest fires devastated the region - was the worst they had ever seen.

Fire official Jim Wells said: "I cannot recall a storm of this magnitude in the city of Los Angeles."

The bizarre weather forced the closure of Los Angeles International airport and brought travel chaos during the rush hour.

Roads and homes in the city, which usually basks in temperatures of 27C in November, were left blanketed in snow and ice.

Flash flooding caught motorists offguard and lightning struck skyscrapers in the downtown area leading to extensive power cuts.

One police officer said: "I have never seen anything like this. There shouldn't be snow in Los Angeles.

"We know they get snow up in the mountains on the outskirts of the city, but this is downtown. It's normally-warm and sunny here. The rain has been torrential. There are cars stranded everywhere. It is chaotic and unbelievable."

More than four inches of rain fell in less than an hour during the rushhour storm - with officials recording 200 lightning strikes in the same period.

Residents in the fire-hit hillside communities of east Los Angeles were warned to be on alert for mudslides as the storm headed their way.