Have your say! Does snow make Britain grind to a halt too easily?
Widespread snow has come to Britain, and once again, reports of school closures, train cancellations and rush hour disruption are leading the way. People regularly complain that it is all too easy for snow to disrupt the day, and that things were better in the "good old days" - but were they really?
Have your say! Should snow cause this much trouble? What was the worst winter you can remember? How did you cope? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.
The UK has been bracing for snow, cold and ice after the Met Office issued yellow weather warnings for parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Mirror reports that up to 20cm of snow could fall in the worst affected areas of the country.
READ MORE: The 'cool' village near Plymouth that loves going its own way
READ MORE: Beautiful stretch of Plymouth coast named among best in England
The yellow weather warnings were expected to be lifted at 10am today, but some areas have had their warnings extended until Wednesday. The warnings state that some areas could see power cuts, disruption to roads and public transport, and that some communities could be cut off.
The caution is to be expected from councils, public transport operators, weather services and other organisations. Ice and snow make for a significant hazard on the roads, for example, with reduced grip and increased braking distances requiring extra care and attention from drivers.
Schools are also regularly affected. Chaos on the roads can make it difficult to get staff and pupils in safely and on time, and there's a duty to keep them warm and give them access to water - which burst or frozen pipes put an end to rather quickly.
The UK does not invest huge amounts of money into the infrastructure or equipment that is needed to deal with large amounts of snow. Countries like Finland or Canada would regularly need to clear snow and deal with ice - Britain only tends to need it every few years.
Many older British adults still tell tales of harsh winters from decades ago however, where it would take a serious cold spell to stop students and workers from getting on with their days. To them, it might seem that everything grinds to a halt much too easily in this country, and that we make far too big a deal of it.
Have your say! Should snow cause this much trouble? What was the worst winter you can remember? How did you cope? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.