About 175 flights have been cancelled at Stansted Airport in Essex and Luton Airport in Bedfordshire because of heavy snow.

Luton Airport has suspended all flights but the runway at Stansted remains open.

Meanwhile traffic has been disrupted on the M11 and A12 in Essex after crashes at Mark's Tey and Galleywood.

Train services have been affected and hundreds of schools closed, with Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire worst hit.

Ryanair cancelled all flights from Luton and Stansted from 1500 GMT while 40 Easyjet services have been affected by the weather.

Ryanair said on its website it had cancelled 73 flights from Stansted. A further six were cancelled at Luton.

In total, about 95 flights have been cancelled at Luton.

Check before travelling

Easyjet cancelled five departures and five arrivals at Stansted, with another 30 into or out of Luton cancelled.

Passengers have been advised to check with their airline before setting out.

A spokesman for Stansted Airport said further problems were anticipated, with more snow forecast throughout the afternoon and into the evening.