Big freeze in Europe shows no signs of letting up as Venice's famous waterways ice over




The big freeze shows no sign of letting up in Europe as Venice's famed waterways fell victim to sub zero temperatures this morning.



Water buses were stranded in some of the Italian city's canals after they froze solid in temperatures as low as -10C.

More than 60,000 homes were left without power in Milan and officials declared a gas supply emergency as the cold temperatures saw pipes burst.



Chilly attraction: A small passenger boat makes its way through ice on a Venice canal as temperatures dropped to -10C

Big freeze: A water bus makes slow progress of the ice-choked canals in the picturesque Italian city No go for gondolas: A view of the frozen north lagoon in Venice Ice breaker: Another boat struggles along a lagoon in Venice. In nearby Milan, more than 60,000 homes were left without power and officials declared a gas supply emergency A woman strolls down the street in the center of Skopje, capital of The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Winter wonderland: The frozen canals of Amsterdam became a giant playground as residents cycle, skate and walk along the ice Making use: People skate across frozen canals in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which have been closed to commercial shipping Team effort: Dutch volunteers clear of the snow from the ice floor of the frozen river the Luts in Balk, north Netherlands

Seemply freezing: Two meerkats at London Zoo get to grips with the snowy conditions



Bath time: Two Ukrainian men take a dip in an ice hole in the Dnipro river in Kiev

Countries across Europe have been battling a severe cold snap for the last two weeks, with schools closed, public transport ground to a halt and snow melt threatening flooding to built up areas.

Another four people were killed by floods in southern Bulgaria, with 10 people still missing authorities said today, after a dam collapsed.

Temperatures have plummeted as low as -36C in Ukraine, the hardest-hit country, with hundreds of people - many homeless - reported to have died across Europe.

Last night, the Serbian government declared a state of emergency, after intense snowfall. Emergency officials said 70,000 people were cut off.

Schools will also be closed in the Italian capital of Rome on Tuesday, as Italy copes with unusually heavy snow for the Mediterranean country.



Rescue: A man is evacuated in Biser, southern Bulgaria, after a dam wall broke and flooded the town

Iced in: People walk along the promenade on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, as a 4x4 stands completely covered by ice Slippy: A woman walks on the frozen waterside of the boardwalk of the Lake Geneva, in Gland, Switzerland

Mush! A competitor speeds through the snow with his Siberian huskies during a dog race in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

One for the album: A tourist takes a picture of the Bartholdi fountain in Lyon, eastern France

Snow covered alpine houses on the mayen Lafet, 1,855 metres above sea level in the canton of Grisons, eastern Switzerland

So far, ten deaths have been linked to winter weather, including two people who were crushed under a collapsed roof south of Rome, and a 91-year-old woman in the northeast port of Trieste who was knocked down by strong winds.

In Bosnia, hundreds of villages were stuck behind snowed-in roads and avalanches and authorities were using helicopters to evacuate the sick and deliver food. Authorities said they have had no contact for 72 hours with about 120 people in the central village of Zijemlja, where residents have no electricity or phone lines.

In Poland, the Interior Ministry reported Monday that nine people died of hypothermia over the past 24 hours. Two elderly people were found frozen in Serbia and Bosnia, and Croatia reported four snow-related deaths.

Ukraine's Emergency Situation Ministry said today the country's death toll now stands at 135, including many homeless people. Some 2,000 have been hospitalized for frostbite or hypothermia, it said.

In the Netherlands, however, Europe's deep freeze means the country's almost mythical 'Eleven Cities Tour' ice skating marathon could be staged later this month for the first time in 15 years.



Thick ice covers of the anchor of a ferry ship making her way among ice-floes floating in River Danube in Budapest, Hungary

Unseasonably cold: Even Algeria, in north Africa, has borne the brunt of the freezing weather with rare snowfall A rare visit from Mr frosty: Two women walk past a snowman in Algiers, Algeria. Meteorology reports suggest that the last time Algiers saw this amount of snow was at least seven years ago in 2005

Cut off: An isolated village is surrounded by heavy snowfall in Bosnia and Herzegovinia. Hundreds of people have been killed as temperatures plummeted as low as -36C in Eastern Europe

A man walks past snow-covered trees on top of the 1,493-meter-high Feldberg mountain in the southern German Black Forest region

The race, held along a 125-mile network of canals connecting 11 towns and cities in Friesland province, would cause a national frenzy, drawing thousands of participants and more than a million spectators. It was last held in 1997.

Treacherous conditions threatened Britain's return to work today as the weekend snow that blanketed the country turned to ice, striking at transport on road, rail and in the air.



While thousands ventured outside to enjoy the snow at the weekend, the onset of the working week is likely to bring widespread disruption with problems reported on the roads, railways, at airports and even on the ground as people struggle with icy pavements.



On the roads the RAC today said it had had the busiest February weekend in its history, with 41 per cent more calls than usual, while the worst overnight problems saw a 25-mile long stretch of the A1 closed after a series of accidents that included four jack-knifed lorries. The A27 is also partly closed this afternoon after a serious crash involving three vehicles.



Icicles hang from a roof in Hochfilzen, in the Austrian province of Tyrol

Frozen: King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, perform a 41-gun salute to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession in the snow in Hyde Park, London

Monument: York Minister surrounded by snow. Britain has also been hit by snow as flights were cancelled at Heathrow and roads were blocked

In the air, Heathrow airport passengers were enraged that just three inches of snow led the third busiest airport in the world to cancel half of its flights over the weekend. However, the airport issued a statement this afternoon which read: 'We're operating a normal schedule today. Please continue to check your flight status with your airline.'



A Downing Street spokesman said the return to normal service was a victory for the airport's snow plan following major disruption in December 2010, when the Spanish-owned airport authority BAA was heavily criticised by an inquiry for its ‘low state of preparedness’ as thousands of passengers were stranded.

