Weather: Snow And Ice Forecast To Stay

Britain faces another week of travel disruption as forecasters warn there is more snow and ice on the way.

With travel chaos across the country and Britain's busiest airport cancelling more than 110 flights, forecasters predicted further misery in the coming days.

Following Friday's deluge of snow, a blanket of snow is expected to sweep across more of the nation today, hitting London and the South East of England first before spreading into the Midlands, north east Wales, East Anglia and central England.

Freezing temperatures will ensure icy conditions endure for some time, with more snow in northern England expected as the week begins.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for ice over much of the country, but a red, severe warning for South Wales which experienced the worst of the weather has been downgraded.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "The heaviest snow will be across East Anglia and Kent where around 5-8cm (2-3inches) is expected.

BA says it has cut its flights by a fifth because more snow is on the way

"Further west, from the west of London into the Midlands and Wales around 2-4cm (0.8-1.6inches) could fall.

"Overnight the snow will move northwards into Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, The North East and eastern Scotland and it will be very cold with a risk of ice."

Heathrow Airport in west London said it was reducing the number of flights scheduled for today by at least a fifth after forecasters predicted another 2-6cm of snow and low visibility in the area.

Passengers are being urged to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport - where bosses are warning weather conditions at other European airports could further decimate schedules.

Emma Gilthorpe, executive director of Heathrow Ltd (formerly BAA), said the airport had very little leeway to cope with the kind of disruption caused by the weather in recent days.

She told Sky News: "The fact that we operate at almost full capacity means that when there's disruption and we do have to space the aircraft at a greater distance we have little room to manouevre, which is why it's so important we make decisions ahead of time so we don't cause disruption to more passengers than we need to."

:: Are you stuck at Heathrow? Contact the Sky news desk on news@sky.com

Ground staff clear the pitch of snow ahead of Tottenham v Manchester United

Passengers at Heathrow have been facing disruption after many were stranded on planes for seven hours or forced to spend a night on the floor.

More than 100 Saturday flights were cancelled and travellers complained about check-in queues of up to two hours as staff battled to clear a backlog caused by 400 cancellations on Friday.

A 22-year-old man was killed on Saturday when his car was involved in a crash with a bus and also hit a lamppost in Coventry, where temperatures had plunged to -1.3C at the time of the accident.

About 10 people were passengers on the bus and some were treated for minor injuries.

West Midlands Police said the road had been gritted and they did not believe the weather caused the accident.

On the railways, there have been widespread cancellations and delays to services across the country, with First Capital Connect running "ghost trains" overnight in a bid to keep tracks clear of snow.

The freezing temperatures over the weekend have prompted motoring organisations to issue warnings.

Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "With the snow compacting down and turning icy, we're likely to see treacherous driving conditions throughout the weekend. Any fresh snow on top will just add to the problems."

The RAC said it had dealt with nearly 9,000 breakdowns - 10% more than usual.

Some have been making the most of the snow this weekend

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A young woman from Peterborough was killed in a crash involving a number of vehicles shortly after 6pm on Friday, Lincolnshire Police said.

It is not known if anyone else was injured in the accident, which happened in bad weather on the A1 at Little Ponton, near Grantham.

Humberside Fire and Rescue said seven passengers were taken to hospital after a double-decker bus collided with two cars and ploughed into a garden.

In Edinburgh, a 16-year-old broke his leg when his sledge ran out of control and he plunged down a 150ft embankment.

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Hostage Crisis: Three Britons Confirmed Dead

Three Britons have been killed and another three are believed to have died in the Algerian hostage crisis, David Cameron has announced.

The Prime Minister said a British resident is also thought to have been killed in the four day stand-off in the desert which dramatically ended on Saturday.

Mr Cameron called the deaths at the In Amenas gas plant an "appalling terrorist incident" and said every effort was being made to help surviving hostages come home.

The death toll includes the Briton already known to have died on Wednesday in the initial raid staged by a band of Islamist militants.

Mr Cameron said: "We now know that three British nationals have been killed, and a further three are believed to be dead. A further British resident is also believed to be dead.

Freed British hostages Peter (left) and Alan (right). No surnames available

"I know the whole country will want to join me in sending our sympathies and condolences to the families who have undergone an absolutely dreadful ordeal, and now face life without these very precious loved ones."

He continued: "The priority now must be to get everybody home from Algeria."

Mr Cameron said the attack was a "stark reminder" of the continuing terrorist threat and vowed to use Britain's chairmanship of the G8 to ensure that it was at the top of the international agenda.

"This is a global threat and it will require a global response. It will require a response that is about years, even decades, rather than months," he said.

"It requires a response that is patient and painstaking, that is tough but also intelligent, but above all has an absolutely iron resolve and that is what we will deliver over these coming years."

Algerian police escort freed Norwegian hostage Oddvar Birkedal

So far, in total, 23 hostages and 32 terrorists are known to have died with 107 foreign workers and 685 local employees released.

Algeria's chief government spokesman said on Sunday that he "strongly feared" the final hostage death toll would be higher.

According to Reuters, Algerian media are reporting that 25 bodies have so far been found inside the plant.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said two Scots, or people with immediate family connections in Scotland, are believed to have been killed.

Carlos Estrada, a Colombian man who lived in London with his family and worked for BP, has been confirmed dead by President Juan Manuel Santos.

At least one American died before Saturday's assault, and Japanese engineering firm JGC Corp said 10 of its Japanese and seven of its foreign workers are still unaccounted for.

Despite the major loss of life, Mr Cameron refused to criticise Algeria's handling of the crisis.

"The responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with the terrorists who launched these vicious and cowardly attacks," he said.

"When you are dealing with a terrorist incident on this scale with up to 30 terrorists it is extremely difficult to respond and get this right in every respect."

An Algerian army truck in a street of In Amenas, near the gas plant

He added: "What we face is an extremist, Islamist, al Qaeda-linked terrorist group. Just as we had to deal with that in Pakistan and in Afghanistan so the world needs to come together to deal with this threat in north Africa.

"It is linked to al Qaeda, it wants to destroy our way of life, it believes in killing as many people as it can.

"We need to work with others to defeat the terrorists and to close down the ungoverned spaces where they thrive with all the means that we have."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said 22 British nationals had survived the crisis and were already back in the UK.

Britain's ambassador is currently in Algiers and will travel to the south of the country today to help any other Britons trying to leave.

He told Sky's Murnaghan show: "These are cold-blooded murderers and we must remember that. There is no political excuse that justifies behaving in this way."

He also defended Algeria's response, revealing that he had been told the terrorists had been planning to blow up the whole installation - causing even more deaths.

The drama started on Wednesday when a group of around 30 heavily-armed militants mounted a dawn raid on the plant which is close to the Libyan border.

They seized hostages from among the 700 Algerian and foreign workers at the site. Two members of staff, including one Briton, died in the initial assault.

Algerian special forces mounted an operation to take back the plant 24 hours later, without informing any other governments in advance.

The Algerians insisted later that they had to act due to fears that the militants were about to flee into the desert, taking hostages with them.

Algerian police guard the entrance of a hospital located near the gas plant

Fears for the hostages' safety grew amid reports of fierce fighting and multiple deaths.

By Friday, it was being claimed that around 100 foreigners - from a total of 132 - and 573 Algerians had been freed.

Provisional figures put the death toll at 12 hostages and 18 militants but it was clear one group of terrorists was still holding out.

On Saturday, Algerian troops launched a final assault on the site and brought the stand-off to a bloody conclusion.

The state news agency, APS, reported that the terrorists had executed seven of the remaining hostages before they themselves were killed.

Algerian security forces escort a bus carrying freed hostages

Troops later found an arsenal of six machine guns, 21 rifles, two shotguns, two 60mm mortars with shells, six 60mm missiles with launchers, two rocket-propelled grenades with eight rockets and 10 grenades in explosive belts.

The terrorists also booby-trapped the sprawling plant with explosives before the last shoot-out.

Algeria's interior ministry has strongly defended the rescue operation.

"To avoid a bloody turn of events in response to the extreme danger of the situation, the army's special forces launched an intervention with efficiency and professionalism to neutralise the terrorist groups that were first trying to flee with the hostages and then blow up the gas facilities," it said in a statement.

The kidnappers are part of the Masked Brigade - a terrorist splinter group led by the veteran jihadist, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, which broke away from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

They initially claimed the attack was in retaliation for the French military intervention in neighbouring Mali.

The gas plant is in the desert in In Amenas

It was subsequently reported that they were demanding the release of two terrorists held in the US, including 1993 World Trade Centre bombing mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, in return for the release of two US captives.

Algeria has fought its own Islamist rebellion since the 1990s, elements of which later declared allegiance to al Qaeda and then set up new groups in the poorly patrolled wastes of the Sahara, where they flourished.

The plant at In Amenas is jointly operated by BP, Norwegian company Statoil and Algerian state oil company Sonatrach.

As freed hostages began to leave the plant, accounts emerged of their horrific treatment at the hands of the kidnappers.

One Algerian worker, who gave his name only as Chabane, described how he heard the militants talking with Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian accents.

At one point, he said, they caught a Briton.

"They threatened him until he called out in English to his friends, telling them 'Come out, come out. They're not going to kill you. They're looking for the Americans'," he said. "A few minutes later they blew him away."

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Devon Murder Arrest After Toddler's Death

A murder investigation is under way after the death of a toddler whose body was found at a home in Modbury.

Police have arrested a 40-year-old woman and she is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

Officers were called to a property in the Devon village at around 8.20am on Saturday after the two-year-old boy's body was found by a member of the public.

As well as carrying out house-to-house enquiries, police have also begun initial forensic work - although a post-mortem examination has yet to take place.

Police have said it will be carried out in the next few days by a Home Office pathologist or specialist paediatric pathologist.

In the meantime, detectives have urged anyone with information to come forward.

A Devon and Cornwall Police spokesman said: "Following a report to police, officers attended an address in Champernowne, Modbury, where they found the body of a two-year-old boy.

"A 40-year-old local woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody at Charles Cross police station, Plymouth."

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Scotland Avalanche: Prayers For Four Victims

A female climber left fighting for her life after an avalanche that killed four has been moved from the Scottish Highlands to a hospital in Glasgow.

Police say the 24-year-old suffered serious head injuries and is in a critical condition in the city's Southern General Hospital, where members of her family are with her.

The victims - two women and two men - were among a party of six walking on Bidean Nam Bian, a mountain near Glencoe, on Saturday.

It is believed they were climbing down a peak when the snow-covered slope they were crossing gave way.

Five people in total were engulfed in a wall of ice and snow and sent hundreds of feet down the mountain.

A major search operation involving mountain rescue teams and police dogs was launched and the four bodies were found under the snow, while another man was unhurt.

A mountain rescue worker after the avalanche

Prayers have been said for the dead climbers at a private service at St Munda's Church in nearby Ballachulish.

Rev Moira Herkes told the congregation: "We include in our prayers thoughts for the deceased in yesterday's tragic accident on the mountain and their families.

"Somehow life must continue. We accept the challenges of nature as part of our living."

She added: "We also pray for the people who are injured, both physically and emotionally.

"And we give our thanks to those prepared to risk their lives in the saving of others, and do so with a sense of commitment and through thinking beyond themselves."

The alarm was initially raised by two other climbers not in the stricken party after they found one of the victims lying in the snow.

The sole male survivor then contacted police to say more people were missing.

John Grieve, leader of Glencoe mountain rescue team, which co-ordinated the search, said: "The first call to police was from two other people who had been on the mountain.

"They found someone lying next to where they were climbing. So, the assumption was that it was just one casualty, but it became clear that there were others missing when they heard from the man who is safe."

He said the dead climbers were located using a technique called "probing", where a metal stick is pushed into the snow.

"I'm not sure how deeply buried they were, but using that technique would suggest it was more than a metre," Mr Grieve, who was not involved in the search, said.

The avalanche occurred on a slope in Glencoe

All of the missing climbers, who are yet to be named, were located within four hours of the alarm being raised.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said: "This is an appalling tragedy and our immediate thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have been lost.

"To lose four people from a party of six is truly devastating."

Bidean Nam Bian is a Munro - a mountain with a height in excess of 3,000ft - with a number of different climbs.

Anyone who is concerned about relatives climbing in the area are advised to contact Northern Constabulary's control room on 01463 715555.

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Blockbuster Shuts 129 Shops And Slashes Staff

The collapsed DVD and games rental firm Blockbuster is to close 129 of its 528 shops and axe 760 workers in the coming weeks.

Some 31 branches have already been put on notice of closure, according to the company's administrators Deloitte.

The move means the chain is already planning to close a quarter of its branches and make 18% of its workforce redundant.

It was announced just days after the chain went into administration in a run of bad news for the British high street.

There will be fears that this is just the first step in taking apart a company that employs more than 4,000 people in the UK.

Lee Manning, of administrator Deloitte, said: "Having reviewed the portfolio with management, the store closure plan is an inevitable consequence of having to restructure the company to a profitable core which is capable of being sold.

"We would like to thank the company's employees for their support and professionalism during this difficult time. We are also grateful to the customers for their continued support."

An employee helpline and an "employee assistance programme" have been set up to help staff find other jobs.

The firm's trading woes were blamed on competition from internet firms and digital streaming of movies and games.

Blockbuster had struggled to adapt to the changing market and rivalry from internet retailers including Netflix, Amazon's LoveFilm and iTunes, which now offers a movie rental service.

Its collapse came after its own plans to break into film-streaming appeared to stall in recent months.

It follows the demise of camera chain Jessops and electricals group Comet, which also blamed competition from online players for their downfall.

Just a day before Blockbuster went into administration, the music and entertainment chain HMV went under following dismal Christmas sales.

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Manti Te'o Denies Role In Dead Girlfriend Hoax

American college football star Manti Te'o has insisted he played no role in the hoax involving his 'imaginary girlfriend'.

In his first interview since the scandal erupted, the Notre Dame linebacker said he was tricked by three people who have confessed they were behind the deception and apologised.

But Te'o accepted he did lie to his father about meeting the 'girl' because he was embarrassed they had never met - and to cover that up, he lied to everyone else.

"I wasn't part of this," he told ESPN . "When they hear the facts they'll know. Two guys and a girl are responsible for the whole thing."

Te'o's virtual relationship began when a girl calling herself 'Lennay Kekua' sent him a friend request on Facebook. In the months that followed the pair had sporadic contact on the internet and over the phone.

Te'o: 'I wasn't part of this. Two guys and a girl are responsible'

But whenever he tried to speak to her on Skype, the picture was always blocked. On several occasions he arranged to meet her in person, but she would always call off the meeting or sent others in her place.

Te'o referred to Lennay as his girlfriend several times, but he denies creating 'Lennay' or her 'death' to boost his career.

After he received a message from someone who claimed 'Lennay' had died of leukaemia, Te'o admitted he misled the public about the nature of their relationship because he was too embarrassed to admit he had never met her in person.

Te'o publicly referred to Lennay as his girlfriend several times

He said: "That goes back to what I did with my dad. I knew it was crazy that I was with somebody that I didn't meet so I tailored my stories so people would think, 'yeah, he met her before she passed away'."

Te'o insisted he did not know 'Lennay' was not real until two days ago, when he claims he was contacted by a 22-year-old man who confessed he was the perpetrator, along with one other man and a woman.

He said their relationship intensified after 'Lennay' told him her father had died.

"She told me her dad passed away, and I was there. I was that shoulder to cry on, and I kind of just naturally cared for the person," he said.

But je insisted he wasn't aware she wasn't real until two days ago

He was also once told 'Lennay' had been in a car accident and was in hospital in a coma.

"I would ask to talk to her, and the only communication I had was through Noah, her brother," he said. "He would put the phone right next to her mouth and I could hear the ventilator going and she would be breathing.

"They said every time I was on the phone the nurse noticed that she must have recognised the voice because she would breath quicker and I could hear it on the phone."

When asked why he did not visit 'Lennay' in hospital, Te'o said: "It never really crossed my mind. I don't know. I was in school."

When asked what he thought should happen to the alleged perpetrator, Te'o replied: "I hope he learns, I hope he understands what he's done. I don't wish an ill thing to somebody. I think embarrassment is big enough."

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Algeria Crisis: 'Sixteen Hostages Freed'

Sixteen foreign hostages being held by Islamist fighters at a BP gas plant in Algeria have reportedly been freed.

Those freed include two Americans, two Germans and one Portuguese, a source told the Reuters news agency.

It also reported Algerian special forces had killed 11 rebels in a final assault, citing the Algerian state news agency APS.

At least 10 Britons remain unaccounted for as the army hunted the al Qaeda-linked gunmen at the complex.

Foreign Secretary William Hague chaired a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergencies committee and said on Twitter the hostage crisis would "remain our top priority until every British national is accounted for".

Earlier, around 30 foreigners were still missing after the terrorists stormed the complex on Wednesday and seized hundreds of workers.

A police checkpoint near the In Amenas gas installation

The British ambassador to Algeria is expected to get permission to go to the site with a small consulate team later today, Sky sources said.

A UK plane carrying a "diplomatic team" landed in Algeria around 280 miles from the hostage scene. Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said the SAS were on standby.

APS earlier reported 12 foreign and Algerian workers and 18 Islamist militants were killed in fighting after government troops carried out a raid at the In Amenas installation on Thursday.

Details remain sketchy but the figures suggested around a dozen of the original group of 30 heavily-armed terrorists could still be holed up at the complex -

The Algerian military controlled the vast residential barracks, while gunmen were in the industrial plant itself with an undisclosed number of hostages, making it difficult for special forces to intervene, Reuters reported.

The siege took place at the gas complex in eastern Algeria

The army is surrounding the plant and helicopters are monitoring the area, Algerian state radio said, quoting a reporter in the city of In Amenas.

Hundreds of workers escaped on Thursday when the army launched their operation, but some hostages were reportedly killed in the assault at the facility, which is jointly run by BP, the Norwegian energy firm Statoil and the Algerian state oil company.

Despite the casualties among the hostages, an Algerian government source quoted by APS strongly defended the military operation, saying it prevented a "true disaster" which would have caused "immeasurable" human and material damage.

One Briton is known to have died earlier in the crisis.

APS reported around 100 of the 132 foreign workers at the site had been freed along with 573 locally employed staff.

Irishman Stephen McFaul, who managed to flee from the kidnappers, is expected to be reunited with his family later.

People pictured outside a hospital in In Amenas

The 36-year-old father-of-two from west Belfast is understood to have been able to escape when a vehicle he was in crashed after being attacked by the Algerian army - despite having explosives placed around his neck.

Hostage Iain Strachan, 38, from Howwood in Renfrewshire, spoke to an Algerian television channel about his ordeal.

He said was "very relieved to be out", adding: "Obviously we still don't really know what's happening back on site. So, as much as we're glad to be out, our thoughts are with colleagues who are still there at the moment."

He said the Algerian army's assistance has been "fantastic". He added: "I've never been so relieved as when they came and got us off site. We thank them very much for that."

Mr Strachan was interviewed on a bus alongside Darren Matthews, 29, from Teesside.

In Amenas in eastern Algeria is near the border with Libya

Mr Matthews said: "I am relieved to be going to see friends and family. I feel safe at the moment but I won't feel 100% happy until I'm back in the UK, when I am back with my family.

"My heart goes out to the guys that are still there and hopefully everyone comes home safe because, at the end of the day, it's only work. No-one should have to go through that just for a job."

The militants are believed to be under the command of the al Qaeda-linked terrorist Mokhtar Balmokhtar, a one-eyed Algerian known as The Uncatchable, who specialises in hostage taking and has strong links with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

The group behind the raid Katibat Moulathamine, or The Masked Ones, said it was retaliating for French military intervention against al Qaeda-backed rebels in Mali.

The gunmen are said to be demanding the release of two terror figures held in the US, including the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing mastermind Omar Abdel Rahman, in return for American hostages.

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Weather: Snow And Ice Causes Heathrow Misery

The UK's busiest airport has been forced to cut its flight schedule by 20% as the country's transport network continues to struggle with freezing weather conditions.

Heathrow Airport in west London said it was reducing the number of flights scheduled for Sunday by at least a fifth after forecasters predicted another 2-6cm of snow and low visibility in the area.

Passengers are being urged to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport - where bosses are warning weather conditions at other European airports could further decimate schedules.

Passengers at Heathrow have been facing disruption after many were stranded on planes for seven hours or forced to spend a night on the floor.

More than 100 Saturday flights have been cancelled and travellers have been complaining about check-in queues of up to two hours as staff battle to clear a backlog caused by 400 cancellations on Friday.

Elsewhere, drivers are being warned of treacherous conditions after heavy snow on Friday across much of Britain turned to ice overnight.

A young woman from Peterborough was killed in a crash involving a number of vehicles shortly after 6pm on Friday, Lincolnshire Police said.

Planes grounded at Heathrow Airport

It is not known if anyone else was injured in the accident, which happened in bad weather on the A1 at Little Ponton, near Grantham.

The Met Office is forecasting less snow for Saturday but has issued yellow warnings for ice for large swathes of the country.

:: Are you stuck at Heathrow? Contact the Sky news desk on news@sky.com.

With more heavy snow possible on Sunday, the Highways Agency has said its fleet of snow ploughs and gritters will be out in force throughout the weekend.

Heathrow said its runways were open on Saturday with no restrictions, but services were still being disrupted following Friday's heavy snow.

Of 104 flights cancelled on Saturday, 100 were with British Airways, which has faced criticism for its handling of the disruption so far.

Husband and wife David and Janet Brindle, from Cumbria, branded BA's customer service and treatment of passengers caught up in the chaos as "appalling" and said some people had been close to tears.

A woman sleeping on the floor at Heathrow

The couple sat on a plane at Manchester airport from 9am until 3pm on Friday and have been stuck at Heathrow since missing their connecting flight to New Zealand.

Mrs Brindle said: "They got us off the plane but our bags weren't off. Not a single person came to tell us what was happening.

"Most people missed their connecting long-haul flights from Heathrow. We were advised to make our own way to Heathrow, so that's what we did.

"Nobody knew what they were doing. They couldn't tell us anything - they were quite rude, actually."

A British Airways spokesman said: "We have unfortunately had to make a number of cancellations today, mainly due to knock-on disruption from yesterday.

"So we've got a number of aircraft out of position and it's quite a complex operation to put that back together."

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled since Friday

BA says it is offering customers who no longer wish to travel this weekend the chance to rebook their flight at a later date and providing refunds and overnight accommodation, or letters to make a claim, to those who could not fly.

Some passengers on British Airways flights told Sky News that they have spent up to seven hours on aircraft which have never left the runway.

Sky Reporter Clare Fallon, at Heathrow, said: "It's a surreal sight, there are hundreds of people on the floor trying to get some sleep because they are essentially stranded here. Some have told me they have been here since 11am yesterday morning.

"People feel very frustrated and stressed, and they don't understand how a relatively small amount of snow has been able to cause so much chaos."

A Gatwick spokeswoman said the airport is operating as normal on Saturday, with 505 flights scheduled and no knock-on effect from earlier bad weather.

In Northern Ireland, around 2,400 homes have been left without electricity after the severe weather caused power cuts along the east Down coast.

The Highways Agency said several motorway lanes and major A roads had closed due to the snow and ice, as well as several crashes.

Drivers have been warned to be extra careful as freezing temperatures turn the snow to treacherous ice.

The deepest snowfall has been measured at 26cm in Sennybridge, Wales, although snow has been thawing in other areas and some train services have been returning to normal.

There have also been severe hold-ups for rail passengers, with many companies cancelling services to help them cope with problems caused by the weather.

Eurostar passengers are facing delays of up to 30 minutes due to speed restrictions in France.

But while commuters have been facing misery, the winter wonderland scenes have brought joy to thousands of youngsters who got a long weekend after schools were forced to shut.

The weather has also disrupted the sporting calendar, with six football matches in League One, eight in League Two and six in Scotland postponed.

Race meetings at Ascot and Haydock have also been called off.

:: Send in your weather photos and videos

Heavy snow is once again expected across the North East and Scotland, while other areas will see patchier coverage.

On Sunday, between 2-5cm of snow is predicted for the South East, the Midlands, East Anglia and Lincolnshire.

Darron Burness, from the AA, said commuting in the wintry conditions was "likely to test man and machine".

Those who decide to travel have been urged to travel prepared with a fully charged mobile phone, warm waterproof clothes, boots and a blanket, some food and drink, and have a torch, ice scraper, de-icer and a shovel.

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Lance Armstrong Admits Doping On Oprah Show

Lance Armstrong has admitted he took performance-enhancing drugs and used blood transfusions as he won his seven Tour de France titles.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the 41-year-old said it was "not possible" to win the gruelling race so many times without doping.

Armstrong confessed that he doped during all seven Tour victories from 1999 to 2005, using blood-boosting agent EPO; blood doping; testosterone, cortisone or human growth hormone.

He said: "My cocktail was EPO, transfusions and testosterone. I made my decisions. They're my mistake. And I'm sitting here today to acknowledge that and to say I'm sorry for that."

The Texan, who won the world road race title in 1993, added that his drug use began in the "mid-90s".

"I suppose earlier in my career there was cortisone and then the EPO generation began," he said.

However, he said that at the time he did not believe what he was doing was cheating.

Armstrong was interviewed in his hometown of Austin, Texas

"I looked up the definition of cheat. The definition of cheat is to gain an advantage over a rival or foe," Armstrong said. "I didn't do that. I viewed it as a level playing field."

Armstrong, who has already had his Tour wins taken away and been banned from the sport for life, acknowledged his admission was probably "too late" for most people.

"I view this situation as one big lie, that I repeated a lot of times. It wasn't as if I just said no."

He had repeatedly previously denied all accusations made against him, despite the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found him to be a central figure in "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme that sport has ever seen".

Although Armstrong acknowledged the doping, he rejected some of USADA's claims about his US Postal team, saying: "It was definitely professional and it was definitely smart, if you can call it that. But it was very conservative, very risk averse.

"But to say that that programme was bigger than the East German programme in the mid-80s, it's not true."

Armstrong denied doping on his return to cycling in the late 2000s

He denied forcing others on the team to take banned substances, but said he led by example.

Armstrong was adamant he did not dope or perform blood transfusions in 2009 or 2010, when he made his comeback to the sport, saying: "The last time I crossed that line was 2005."

He said that allegations that he did take banned substances during this comeback period were the only thing in the USADA's detailed report that "really upset" him.

It was out-of-competition testing and the so-called biological passport, which collates biological markers of doping and doping tests, that forced him to stop.

USADA chief executive Travis Tygart called the admission a "small step in the right direction".

"But if he is sincere in his desire to correct his past mistakes, he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities."

The interview, which you can see again on Discovery at 8pm, was recorded in Armstrong's home town of Austin, Texas, three days before it was broadcast.

Cycling's governing body, the UCI, welcomed Armstrong's confession.

President Pat McQuaid said: "It was disturbing to watch him describe a litany of offences including, among others, doping throughout his career, leading a team that doped, bullying, consistently lying to everyone and producing a backdated medical prescription to justify a test result.

Armstrong confessed he took drugs during all his seven Tour de France wins

"However, Lance Armstrong also rightly said that cycling is a completely different sport today than it was 10 years ago. In particular the UCI's introduction of the biological passport in 2008 - the first sports federation to do so - has made a real difference in the fight against doping."

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which on Thursday stripped Armstrong of his bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games, said: "There is a positive side if these revelations can begin to draw a line under previous practices.

"We now urge Armstrong to present all the evidence he has to the appropriate anti-doping authorities so that we can bring an end to this dark episode and move forward, stronger and cleaner."

Sky's US Correspondent Amanda Walker joined cyclists at Nello's Cycles in Armstrong's hometown of Austin, Texas, to watch the interview.

She said: "Bike enthusiasts here have followed Austin's most famous son throughout his career. Most say they knew Armstrong was doping. Finally, they got to hear it from the man himself:

"With part one of the interview broadcast, this was the verdict from some of his closest followers. Bike shop manager David Figueroa said: "I think he had a good performance. I think he spent a lot of time preparing for it and I think he's proud of himself."

"Customer and cyclist Gregg Dansom said: "As a human being, I think he's a jerk. Would I ride with him? Yeah, I don't care - I know plenty of jerks - the difference is he made up lies about people and destroyed peoples lives."

"America has another instalment to go before deciding whether to accept accept Armstrong's plea for atonement."

The Sunday Times, which was sued by Armstrong in 2004 after the paper printed allegations of his doping, said it will now be pursuing its case against him "vigorously".

A spokesman for the newspaper said: "We watched Lance Armstrong's interview with interest and noted his numerous admissions regarding taking performance-enhancing drugs.

"The Sunday Times believes that our case for recovering the £1m he obtained from us by fraud is now even stronger. We will be pursuing that case vigorously."

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Cameron Condemns 'Brutal And Savage' Attack

Algerian forces launched their rescue mission fearing an "immediate threat" to the hostages, David Cameron has told the House of Commons.

The attempt to rescue gas workers taken hostage by al Qaeda-linked militants ended in a number of deaths, including one Briton.

The Prime Minister put off a high-profile speech on Europe to stay in London and oversee developments.

After chairing a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, he told MPs that the situation in Algeria was "continuing" but he hoped it would be resolved shortly.

He said the attack on the complex was "large, well co-ordinated and heavily armed" and appeared to be pre-planned.

A satellite image shows the scale of the sprawling gas complex

On Thursday night, fewer than 30 British citizens were believed to be "at risk" in Algeria. That number has now been "quite significantly reduced", Mr Cameron said.

Meanwhile Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said a number of Scottish residents who had been held captive have been confirmed as "safe and well".

A British plane carrying a "diplomatic team" has arrived in Algeria around 280 miles from the hostage scene.

Reuters has quoted the Algerian News Agency as saying 650 hostages have been freed, including 573 Algerians.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has cut short a visit to Australia to return to the UK.

The In Amenas facility is close to the border with Libya

Before leaving, he said: "The responsibility for the tragic events of the last two days squarely rests with terrorists who chose to attack innocent workers, murdering some and holding others hostage."

Foreign Office officials believe hostage takers could still be on the site.

Sky's Sophy Ridge said: "There has been perhaps an assumption … that this is a now just a search operation but certainly that's not the basis that the Foreign Office in the UK is working on."

The rescue attempt was launched early on Thursday without consultation with the UK. Mr Cameron was only informed it was under way when he spoke to the Algerian prime minister.

Algerian communications minister Mohamed Said Belaid said the military operation succeeded in "neutralising a large number of terrorists and freeing a large number of hostages".

He added: "But unfortunately, we are sorry to say, there were some deaths and injuries.

"We do not yet have a definitive figure. As soon as we have it, we will make it public."

One British citizen has already been confirmed dead earlier in the hostage situation.

Among those confirmed freed include Irishman Stephen McFaul and three Japanese workers.

The militant group believed to have carried out the raid on the In Amenas gas plant - Katibat Moulathamine or The Masked Ones - said it was retaliating for French military intervention against al Qaeda-backed rebels in neighbouring Mali.

The attack began on Wednesday morning when heavily-armed militants launched a dawn raid.

They claimed to have seized dozens of foreign workers, including Britons, Americans, Norwegians and Japanese.

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