Thousands of passengers and commuters found themselves stuck in France, Germany, Britain and parts of Italy as the flurries coated everything in white, the result of a cold snap that was forecast to continue for the next few days.

Paris's two main airports of Orly and Charles de Gaulle were virtually closed, the state management company Aeroports de Paris said, adding that the few flights taking off were being delayed by at least an hour.

Road traffic in and around the French capital was severely hampered, with officials calling on drivers to pull over or not take to the highways until conditions improved.

Almost all of Germany was snowbound, the weather service Meteomedia said. Minor road accidents were reported in many areas, resulting in at least five people being injured. In the north of the country, school buses were unable to pick up pupils.

Stuttgart airport announced that the "extreme" conditions had forced it to cancel or delay its flights, while rail traffic was similarly disrupted.

Switzerland was also confronted with traffic accidents and delays at Zurich airport, as well as fears that the growing piles of snow were increasingly becoming avalanche risks.

In Italy, authorities closed part of the main highway linking Rome and Milan. Snow and rain also posed dangers to motorists heading to or from Naples, while ferries using that southern port city were kept in harbour.

Rome itself suffered heavy rain and hail, and strong winds there caused flight delays at its airports and some aircraft had to be rerouted to other destinations.

In Britain, the weather service said much of England and Wales would continue to see snow falls and it warned that conditions were "hazardous" for driving.

Reports said London-bound train services were suspended in some cases and were blocked around the capital.

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