BRRR LINGUS; Flights frozen as icy weather causes havoc.

Byline: By DECLAN FERRY

HUNDREDS of air passengers were delayed for up to three hours yesterday after their planes FROZE.

They were victims of the travel chaos that gripped the country as temperatures dropped to - 7C.

And yesterday Met Eireann forecast the cold snap would continue with more rain, sleet and snow to come tonight.

While the temperature at Dublin Airport only dropped to - 3C, ground staff struggled to keep things moving after a defrosting machine broke down.

An Aer Lingus spokesman said: "There were two de-icer machines working through the night, as temperatures dipped to - 3C. "At 5am one of the machines broke down resulting in delays to 18 Aer Lingus flights.

"The delays experienced were from 20 minutes up to three hours."

The spokesman added that a contingency plan was put in place and they then worked through the backlog of flights.

But there was a further hitch when the operating machine had to be refuelled. One passenger said: "We've been sitting here for hours and we haven't had anything to eat.

"We have been given water by the staff though, and to be fair to them they are doing their best. It's not their fault.

"But you have to say things should be better organised than this. It's only a cold snap."

Motorists were also warned about hazardous driving conditions across the country yesterday morning.

Wexford, Wicklow, Kilkenny, Cavan, Monaghan, and Dublin had all been identified as dangerous.

While there was less freezing fog, heavy ice was reported in Co Carlow and there had also been falls of sleet and snow in many parts.

Temperatures stayed around freezing for most of the morning, meaning there was frost in rural areas until the afternoon.

According to Met Eireann the weather will remain unsettled over the next few days.

The forecaster said: "Thursday night will bring frost, fog and icy patches and some further sleet and snow to Northern parts.

"For Friday and Friday night it's looking unsettled and it'll feel very chilly with some further periods of wet weather and some falls of sleet or snow likely at times.

"Saturday will bring rain or showers and will be pretty windy at times."

In response to a severe weather warning from Met Eireann the Road Safety Authority issued guidelines for motorists to combat the treacherous conditions.

Chief executive Noel Brett said: "Bad weather such as ice and snow can catch road users off guard.

"Therefore in such weather conditions it is best to avoid unnecessary journeys. "If driving in such conditions is unavoidable be prepared.

"The golden rule is drive with care and expect the unexpected."

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CAPTION(S):

CHAOS: Many flights were delayed