Snow really can be fun

In Britain, snow usually means just one thing - chaos. Slip-sliding along icy roads, navigating treacherous pavements, shivering on desolate stations and finding someone to look after the children at the last minute when their school has been closed.

Few find anything to enjoy about snow - except the youngsters missing lessons, of course.

However, other people around the globe seem ready to have fun as soon as the first flakes begin to fall.

South Korean soldiers hurled snowballs at each other yesterday during a winter exercise near the capital, Seoul.

And in Hyderabad, southern India, more than 10,000 visitors flocked to the city's newly-opened Snow World - for many their first sight of the white stuff. The city normally bakes in 113°F (45°C) temperatures in summer and has never had a snowfall, but visitors are now able to experience temperatures of -5°C (23°F). Lucky them.

In contrast, overnight snowfalls, plus snow and ice left over from the day before, left Britons to contend with public transport chaos and gridlocked roads yesterday - despite only a few inches of snow falling.

There were flight cancellations or temporary closures at many airports including Birmingham, Bristol, Gatwick, Heathrow, East Midlands and Stansted.

On the rails, services on Silverlink, Thameslink, South Eastern, West Anglia Great Northern, South West Trains and MerseyRail were badly disrupted and some London Underground services were cancelled.

Thousands of pupils got a second day off school in Scotland and eastern England, and the AA handled three times more rescue calls than usual.

However, for one woman stuck in traffic during a snowstorm, the AA would not have been much help.

Mother-to-be Lisa Wetherell, from Chelmsford, Essex, went into labour and gave birth to 7lb 9oz daughter Grace on the back seat.

Her husband, David, flagged down a police car and the couple were also helped by two paramedics before Grace was delivered safely.

Weathermen say the cold snap will end by noon today, with temperatures climbing over the weekend.