Schools were closed and commuters faced chaos today – but an end to the bad weather is not yet in sight, with more snow forecast for the weekend.

Delighted youngsters hit the slopes to go sledging as 20 schools failed to open in Richmond today.

Only Wyndham Nursery had to close on Wednesday, and the borough’s parks also stayed open with visitors being warned to steer clear of icy ponds and pathways.

Pupils at Waldegrave School for Girls, in Twickenham, made the most of the weather by building snowmen before assembly.

Jenny Michell, deputy headteacher, said: “It’s school as usual, as long as the public transport is running.

“There is a good atmosphere and we have extra supervision for break times just to be safe.”

Richmond Council said it still had 1,900 tonnes of grit – several weeks’ supplies.

The authority is also supplying 250 tonnes of grit to Enfield and 100 tonnes to Camden, after fears the two boroughs' stocks were running out.

A spokesman said Richmond Council had one of the largest grit stockpiles in London and was happy to help out.

The council was forced to cancel household rubbish collections due to the icy conditions.

The authority said in a statement: “All refuse and recycling services have been suspended until further notice due to icy pavements with staff diverted to gritting pavements. Updated information on recommencement of collection services will be available periodically.”

All four of the borough’s day centres remained open today.

Train passengers faced misery as delays and cancellations hit the rail network.

South West Trains (SWT) operated a special “snow timetable” on Wednesday, and said it was closely monitoring forecasts.

But the Met Office warned the worst was yet to come.

More snow is expected in south-west London tomorrow, with heavier snowfalls through Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

About 70 per cent of train services were running on Wednesday, with delays at most stations. No trains operated between Teddington and Shepperton or between Waterloo and Hampton Court.

Commuters at Vauxhall station were told no trains were running to or from Teddington because “train crews could not get in”. However, an SWT spokesman said it had been forced to prioritise the busiest routes.

SWT said it returned to a normal timetable yesterday, but many passengers still faced delays.

Transport for London (TfL) said on Wednesday there were minor delays on overground services from Richmond to Willesden and on to Stratford.

A TfL spokesman said most tube lines, the DLR, overground lines and LondonTramlink were running a good service. He said “a very small number” of bus routes had been diverted.

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