NEWHAM ground to a halt today as ice and then snow turned roads, pavements, parks, buildings...in fact, everything, white.

NEWHAM ground to a halt today as ice and then snow turned roads, pavements, parks, buildings...in fact, everything, white.

Having escaped the worst last night, today brought the blizzards that made the stuff we experienced two weeks ago seem like nothing.

Newham Council’s gritters were out in force and battled bravely to keep up, but still thousands faced misery on what is traditionally the busiest weekend before Christmas.

Plunging temperatures and heavy snow saw large swathes of the country grind to a standstill, as the latest blast of wintery weather showed little sign of easing.

As much as eight centimetres of snow fell in our neck of the woods.

Air passengers also faced disruptions at London City.

Temperatures dropped as low as minus 11C.

Newham Council closed all its libraries today.

There were four accidents in High Street North, East Ham and Manor Park on Saturday.

Some commuters took the drastic step of abandoning their cars - hindering the efforts of gritters battling to keep the road networks flowing.

Many shops decided to close early.

The City of London Cemetery was a picture of beauty, but the normally busiest day of the year for families visiting their loved ones turned into a very quiet occasion.

Many cars got stuck inside for as long periods until help arrived.

Simple journeys that normally take just ten minutes - a trip along Romford Road for instance, were taking two hours. Vehicles were sliding all over the place. The A13 Newham Way was at its slowest.

Taken any snow scenes? E-mail them to The Editor, Colin Grainger. colin.grainger@newhamrecorder.co.uk