SNOW and ice have brought days of travel chaos to the region leaving people struggling to get to work, schools to close, businesses to shut up shop early, and some folk were effectively prisoners in their own homes.

While Hampshire County Council's gritting teams swung into action on priority roads, for many reaching those roads proved too daunting a prospect, with conditions in villages like Four Marks and Lasham described as "treacherous".

In the Alton area public transport operators struggled to bridge the gap, with South West Trains and Stagecoach both coming under fire as a reduced rail service to London Waterloo led to major overcrowding, and road conditions left some buses delayed or unable to complete their journeys, leaving passengers stranded in the snow.

For full story, see this week's Alton Herald.