Heavy snow causes chaos in northern France

Heavy snowfall has caused major travel disruptions in the northern half of France as well as Paris as the weather conditions caught authorities off guard.

Hundredsofpeoplespent the night trapped in their vehicles or in improvised shelters outside the capital after French authorities failed to clear roads.

Several flights from Paris airports were cancelled or delayed, while Paris police urged drivers to leave their cars at home yesterday.

On subway services in Paris, commuters faced long journeys in packed carriages.

In Velizy, a small town in the suburbs of Paris, about 200 people unable to make it back home were put up for the night in a commercial mall and a sports hall, while 1,500 others slept in 46 reception shelters opened in the French capital.