One dead, thousands without power and the first October snow in London in 74 YEARS as Arctic blast sweeps across UK



One man was killed and thousands were left without power today after inches of snow fell across the country overnight.



Just two days after the end of British Summertime, the first snowfall of the year saw a lorry driver killed when his vehicle collided with another lorry on the M40 in Buckinghamshire.

Tonnes of lard being carried in one of the lorries was left strewn over all six lanes of the motorway causing long delays.

Weather victim: A lorry driver was killed when his vehicle collided with another lorry on the M40 in Buckinghamshire this morning

Thousands of homeowners were today without power after high voltage cables were brought down by the night's snowfall.

Clusters of homes in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire were affected and energy provider EDF said it would work throughout the day to reconnect supplies.



Even London was hit by a light dusting last night - the first time the capital has seen snow in October since 1934.



The last time snow settled on London in October, Britain was in the midst of an economic depression, the prime minister was losing his grip on power and Spurs were at the start of a season that would see them relegated from top flight football.

As the French say, plus ca change.



While the capital woke to its first October blanketing since 1934, the rest of the South had its first pre-Halloween snowfalls since the 1970s.



The unseasonal flurries, caused by a blast of air from the Arctic, were welcomed by millions of children in the middle of their half-term holidays.

Hoofprints in the snow: A horse thunders across frozen fields in Bellingdon, Buckinghamshire, on Wednesday

A commuter cycles home in snowy Coventry, cutting a track through the fresh layer

A car heads through blizzard-like conditions in Stevenage, Hertfordshire



But thousands of homes were without power in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire after two inches of snow damaged high voltage cables in temperatures of minus 4c.



The icy conditions also brought chaos to the roads across the South, Midlands and East Anglia. And commuter trains ground to a halt when snow fell off overhanging branches onto the lines.



While the wintry dusting soon vanished in Wednesday's sunshine and showers, more snow was forecast for Wales last night.



Bookmakers were forced to slash the odds of a white Christmas from 8/1 to 6/1 in London after a flurry of bets, despite assurances from the Met Office that the winter will be a mild one.

The cold snap saw snow falling on London

It was the first time snow has settled in North London in October for decades

The Millennium Bridge over the Thames was coated in snow

Forecasters said temperatures would start to rise over the next few days.



Met Office spokesman Barry Gromett said: 'The last time snow was on the ground in the South East in October was 1974, while London hasn't had October snow on the ground for 74 years.'



In 1934, Britain was in the fifth year of the Great Depression - an economic downturn fuelled by greedy bankers and incompetent economists.



The prime minister, Ramsay MacDonald, had formed a National Government dominated by Conservatives and was hated by his former Labour colleagues. Within a year he had resigned.



Poor Tottenham Hotspur ended the season being relegated and got through three managers in just a few months.



Back in 2008, the Met Office spokesman explained the cold snap: 'It has been caused by an area of low pressure coming from the north dragging down Arctic air.

'What's also unusual is that the lowest layer of the atmosphere - the troposphere - is much thinner than usual for October. Normally it would be 40,000ft deep, but now is around 25,000ft and it's an indication of the coldness of the air.



'It's created the conditions where warm air has risen sharply and created the conditions for showers and more extreme weather.'



The sub-zero temperatures hit on Tuesday night. Hertfordshire had the most snow, with around three inches. Most affected areas had one to two inches.

Hundreds of trees became casualties of the freak weather conditions and were brought down by the weight of snow on leaves and branches.

Cancelled: A football match between Luton and Bournemouth was abandoned when snow fell on the pitch