Europe cold snap kills dozens across continent

Dozens of people have died across Europe as days of snow storms and sub-zero temperatures swept the continent, causing traffic chaos for millions.

At least 29 people froze to death in Poland as temperatures fell far below freezing, while in southern Germany a figure of -33C (-27F) was recorded.

Moscow said it was deploying 9,000 snow ploughs to clear the city's streets.

Air, rail and road transport links were disrupted across northern Europe where more snow was expected in coming days.

Eurostar services between the UK and the continent were suspended on Monday for a third day, as the company launched an immediate review into train breakdowns which have stranded and delayed tens of thousands of passengers since Friday.

'Saturation point'

The crisis prompted French President Nicolas Sarkozy to call the head of national rail carrier SNCF - the majority stakeholder in Eurostar - to order a normal resumption of service by Tuesday.

Meanwhile Eurotunnel - which carries vehicles under the Channel between England and France - said its terminal at Folkestone was at "saturation point" and closed its shuttle car service to new arrivals.

In Poland, police appealed for people to help if they came across homeless or drunk people lying outside, as temperatures dropped towards -20C in some areas.

Most of the 42 people who froze to death in the country over the weekend were homeless, police said.

Meanwhile, one restaurant owner offered tens of thousands of homeless people a hot meal in Krakow's main square.

"The food is not the only important thing," restaurateur Janusz Kosciuszko was quoted as telling Euronews.

"What is also important is that these people know that someone is thinking about them."

Treacherous travel conditions on roads and railway lines caused a spike in accidents across the continent, with several people reportedly killed in accidents in Austria and Germany.

Fifty people were injured when a train hit a buffer in the Croatian city of Zagreb, while 36 were injured when a passenger train derailed in Paris.

Parts of the continent saw 20in (50cm) of snow over the weekend.

In France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, airport operators struggled to clear runways amid thick snowfall, with major disruption to flight patterns.

In France, a second wave of snowstorms hit the country's north on Sunday with Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport warning as many as one in five flights was likely to be cancelled on Monday.

Germany's third largest airport - in Dusseldorf - was also closed because of Sunday's heavy snow.

In Belgium, the three biggest airports - Brussels, Charleroi and Liege - were completely shut. Severe delays and cancellations were reported at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Temperatures were forecast to rise later in the week.

Christmas shoppers defy cold weather to spend

UK shoppers have defied the harsh winter weather to spend during the last weekend before the Christmas holidays.

The New West End Company, which represents more than 600 traders in central London, said sales were up 10% on last year's sluggish trading.

"We estimate £140m to be spent over the weekend and we are looking to go over a million people," it said.

Heavy snowfall has caused traffic chaos in many parts of the UK, and is expected to continue on Sunday.

Sales were reported to be brisk across the UK, while credit card firm Visa expects people to keep spending this week.

Visa expects to process a new record of more than 17 million transactions in the UK on 23 December, up 16% from the same day last year.

'Fed up'

"We think it's going to be significantly greater this year because people have bounced back from recession," said Richard Dickinson, chief executive of the New West End Company, which represents shops in Bond Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.

"Either they are fed up with the recession and want to enjoy Christmas or they are thinking we are pulling out of it now."

The company said only 40% of goods were on sale this year, compared to 90% last year.

Customers were also buying more expensive items such as televisions, as they attempted to beat the increase in value-added tax, back to 17.5% from 15%, in the new year.

Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent expects 250,000 shoppers over the weekend and said November sales rose by 5% compared with the same month last year.

"We have had a tremendous few months in the run-up to Christmas," a spokesman said.

Capital Shopping Centres, which represents 14 regional shopping centres including Braehead in Glasgow, Lakeside in Thurrock and Metrocentre in Gateshead, reported its busiest day of trading on Saturday.

The company said more than seven million shoppers had passed through the centres this week.

The Met Office said that "heavy and prolonged" snow showers would continue through the afternoon across Greater Manchester.