European capitals snowbound

Madrid – a city rarely associated with snow – woke up under a white blanket today, as up to four inches of snow fell.

The snowfall, a rarity in Spain’s capital, caused traffic jams and held up commuter trains.

Snow also covered much of northern Spain and cut off road access to a hundred of remote mountain villages, police said.

The French capital was also snowbound, giving Paris a rare dose of wintry conditions that challenged motorists stuck in huge traffic jams and delayed flights at both airports.

The National Centre for Road Information said there were 137 miles of traffic jams around the capital at rush hour.

Snow fell at a steady rate through the morning in Paris and other parts of France but relented on the Cote d’Azur, where enough snow had fallen yesterday for children to make snowmen on the Mediterranean beaches.

Many parts of the UK are also under snow.