Europe is facing one of the coldest winters in recent times, and its effect is being felt across the continent.

Thousands of airline passengers are facing long delays because of bad weather. In Germany alone, hundreds of flights have been delayed.

Meanwhile in the UK, hundreds of schools have been closed because of the snow, and more bad
weather over Christmas could lead to shortages of domestic heating oil.

Postal services are also feeling the brunt of the weather, with letters and packages put on hold by the cold snap.

In Poland, severe frost has killed 93 people so far this winter and Northern Ireland has witnessed its heaviest snow fall in 25 years.

The Swedish capital, Stockholm, is experiencing the coldest December in 135 years, and in Italy, sub-zero temperatures have frozen Rome's famous fountains, now dripping with icicles rather than gushing water.