Cash-strapped councils were tonight promised millions of euro to help cope with the big freeze as parts of the country lay paralysed under a blanket of snow.

STRANDED passengers were thrown a lifeline last night as aviation chiefs gave the go-ahead for Irish and British airspace to reopen.

Ireland’s two leading airlines tonight warned they have lost more than €70m as an Icelandic volcano paralysed the aviation industry.

WHILE the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning said restrictions were likely to remain in place today, the outlook for a resumption of flights later this week seems positive.

More than 800 Irish passengers stranded abroad because of the no-fly zone over northern Europe have sought help from a consular crisis service, it was revealed today.