"We Shouldn't Just Buckle To It"

Compounding the general economic slowdown, heavy snows across eastern Britain Monday shut down education and commerce for millions, with economists estimating losses to the economy as high as $5 billion US.

As Tuesday's sunshine gradually allowed airline, bus and rail service to resume, British Chambers of Commerce Director-General David Frost told CNN his country needs better planning to mitigate freak weather. "We shouldn't just buckle to it," he said.

Stephen Alambritis, of the Federation of Small Businesses, agreed. "One of the world's biggest economies should not be grinding to a halt."

London got over 10 inches of snow through Monday. All buses were canceled, airline flights were cancelled, and even underground train services were severely disrupted.

An estimated one in five workers stayed home from work Monday, many to care for children whose classes had been cancelled. Some schools remained closed on Tuesday, and weather forecasters warned snow which melts and refreezes overnight could cause more problems for transportation Wednesday morning.

At London Heathrow Airport, runways were cleared and operations reported generally on-time Tuesday, but officials acknowledged some delays for de-icing of aircraft.

FMI: www.heathrowairport.com