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Airports were shut, trains were stranded and roads were closed in Britain on Thursday amid a week-long freeze that has sparked questions about why the country grinds to a halt when snow falls?

Gatwick Airport, Britain’s second busiest airport was closed for the second consecutive day and snow also shut a number of other smaller airports including Scotland’s main airport Edinburgh. This led to the cancellation of hundreds of International flights. Hundreds of rail commuters also spent a freezing night aboard an abandoned train and many other trains were cancelled in southeast England.

As a result, the government started an urgent review of how Britain's transport systems were performing amid criticism of the country's preparedness for the icy conditions and a lack of communication to commuters.

Transport minister Philip Hammond said while Britain had built up stockpiles of salt to treat icy roads after supplies ran short last year, he was concerned at the state of transport since the freeze started last week.

"I share the frustration of the travelling public and we need to be sure that we are doing everything possible to keep Britain moving," he said.

"Unfortunately, in extreme weather conditions some disruption is inevitable but there is no excuse for poor communication with passengers and motorists."

Air travellers complained they had made their way to Gatwick because they were told flights were likely to resume on Thursday, only to find all flights were cancelled until at least 0600 GMT on Friday.

Forecasters offered some respite, predicting that the wintry weather will ease slightly on Friday.