Europe battered by Arctic weather

Europe was struggling to restore roads and railways today after heavy snow caused hundreds of accidents, halted flights, downed power lines in Poland and trapped more than 160 people overnight on a frozen German road.

The 148 adults and 19 children stuck on Germany’s coastal A20 road survived by running their car engines until rescuers using snow ploughs and excavators pushed through 6.5ft drifts to free them yesterday, police in the town of Altentreptow said.