Snow leaves roads across the region in a treacherous condition

About 500 passengers at Bournemouth Airport were stranded in the terminal, or were forced to spend the night in a hotel, after their flights were diverted from Stansted.

The situation was similar at Southampton Airport, where 41 flights were affected.

Thousands of commuters also experienced severe delays trying to get to work on Thursday, after a blizzard left many roads across the south in a treacherous condition.

Lightning strike

Dozens of primary and secondary schools across the region have also been forced to close due to the big freeze.

In Berkshire, the bell tower of St Paul's Church, in Wokingham, collapsed after the 140-year-old building was struck by lightning and caught fire.

In Oxfordshire, part of the M40 southbound was shut because of the snow and ice.

And two lanes between junction five and four, near Stokenchurch, were cordoned off.

As a sheet of snow fell on Wednesday, some drivers were forced to abandon their cars.

There were reports of motorists stuck on the A34, near Oxford for several hours.

Banbury was also gridlocked for a time.