LONDON – The biggest snowstorm to hit London in 18 years idled Britain’s trademark red buses, stranding thousands of airline passengers and commuters, and raising a vexing question about why a predicted snowfall caught authorities so off-guard.

Transit officials had nearly a week to prepare, but they failed to keep a semblance of normalcy in the city when more than 10 centimetres of snow fell overnight from Sunday to Monday and another 10 centimetres fell on Monday afternoon (early this morning NZST).

Londoners who needed to get somewhere often found they couldn’t – unless they were willing to trudge for kilometres.

Click to read the rest of this story here:  NZ Herald London Snow Storm

Photo:  A woman takes photographs of a snow covered London taxi in St Johns Wood, London. Photo / AP, nzherald.co.nz