Paris - Police closed highways, trains were held up and flights cancelled Monday as winter storms battered parts of Europe which have left at least 10 people dead since the weekend.

Romania has been worst hit by blizzard conditions, the worst snow storms there in 40 years according to local meteorologists, while Britain and France were bracing for heavy snowfalls creating potentially chaotic transport conditions.

British Airways cancelled at least 20 flights bound for continental Europe and the United States from London airports Heathrow and Gatwick, as high winds and snow showers began sweeping south from Northern Ireland and Scotland, sending temperatures plummeting. Heaviest snow showers are likely to be in Scotland and northeast England today. The temperature dropped to minus 6°C (21 F) in parts of Scotland overnight. Seventeen centimeters (seven inches) of snow have already fallen in northern Scotland, with more predicted.

In France, cold weather and sleet lead to delays of up to two hours at Paris' two main airports, Charles de Gaulle and Orly, while train service was disrupted between the western city of Rennes and Paris. More snow and high winds are expected for central northern France.

In Switzerland, heavy snowfall disrupted travel in the Geneva and Lausanne area in the southwest. Geneva airport was closed for two hours early Monday, delaying 40 flights, a spokesman said.

Copyright 2004 - AFP & WeatherOnline Ltd