SCHOOLS were forced to close and the roads were plunged into chaos yesterday as Essex awoke to a blanket of snow after gritters failed to treat the roads.
Essex Police warned drivers to avoid car journeys after 45 crashes were reported in the space of a few hours after the blizzard began at about 6am.
More than 40 flights were cancelled at Stansted Airport, which was forced to shut at 6.20am for two hours, as ground crews battled to clear the snow-covered runway.
At the time of going to press, around 70 schools were forced to shut because of the wintry conditions, with some deciding to open at lunchtime.
One of those forced to close was Chelmer Valley High in Chelmsford.
"Due to the exceptional weather conditions this morning, which caused traffic chaos in the local and wider areas, unfortunately, the decision has been to made to close the school," a statement from the school read.
"Any Year 10 or 11 students who came into school have been given the option to remain and revise or work on coursework."
And Essex Weather Centre forecasters predict more snow next week claiming the county is heading towards a "deep freeze".
The scenes on the roads descended into farce as vehicles slid uncontrollably on the icy roads after Essex County Council admitted it had not pre-gritted the highways on Tuesday night.
Traffic crawled at a snail's pace on the A120 at Braintree and the A414 Three Mile Hill in Chelmsford was blocked in both directions as cars were defeated by the conditions.
Queues to reach the A12 were backed up all the way into Chelmsford and the roundabout at Princes Road and Wood Street was completely gridlocked.
Infuriated commuters pummelled their horns and yelled at one another in ill-fated attempts to move just a few metres down the icy roads.
In Writtle Road, teenagers helped push stranded motorists to safety after they were beaten by a slight incline.
Daniel Levy, 18, was with a friend on his way to college when he saw a struggling driver in the snow.
"We were just on our way to college – we were hoping it wouldn't be on – so we've helped a couple of the cars on their way. Otherwise they wouldn't be going anywhere."
Meanwhile, another driver sat behind a yellow school bus for an hour to travel the short distance from Joseph Court, near Chelmsford Crematorium, to the traffic lights in New London Road.
"We have been in the car for an hour," she said, just as the lights finally turned green.
"We only want to get to the bottom of New London Road. It definitely would have been quicker to walk. But once you're stuck, you're stuck."
In Maldon, the B1018 out of the town was at a standstill as a car heading towards Heybridge swerved off the road after it crossed the old humpback bridge.
Witness Glen Oldershaw, who lives in Heybridge, said: "The car had skidded into some trees and was left sticking out in the road just past the bridge.
"It meant that none of the heavy lorries heading in both directions could cross the bridge, as it has high sides, and all traffic on the road soon stopped.
"Eventually a mechanical digger attached a rope to the car and was able to pull it back on the road, and it was able to get down the narrow road, but not before the biggest tailback I have ever seen in Maldon was created.
"It does make me laugh that basically what amounts to a centimetre of snow can bring most of the county to a complete halt."
And while drivers sat motionless in their cars, chilly crowds gathered at bus stops in the hope that one would eventually arrive.
Freddie Durham, 16, from Springfield, was waiting at a bus stop to get to Great Baddow High School.
"Not one bus or car has even driven past me," he said.
"If nothing comes in the next 15 minutes I am just going to go home or walk to school."