Some flights to Mumbai scheduled to depart from London's Heathrow airport on Sunday night were among half of scheduled 1,300 flights cancelled as authorities grappled with the fallout of snow and icy conditions across transport links in Britain.

Conditions of several arterial roads were described as "treacherous", as tempers ran high at Heathrow when hundreds of flights to destinations in Europe, United States, India and other countries were cancelled.

Trains were also delayed, and cars abandoned on clogged motorways.

According to information from Heathrow, the following India-bound flights were cancelled: 9W117 to Mumbai, AC6004 to Mumbai, UA9822 to Mumbai, VS9117 to Mumbai, IT002 t oDelhi.

Other India bound flights tonight were described as "scheduled".

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Snow conditions also adversely affected flights from other airports in Britain. Many people spent the night in cars when traffic grounded to a halt on roads as swathes of snow swamped Britain amidst severe warnings by the weather office.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the arterial M25 and M40 motorways, with drivers forced to spend the night in their cars.

Authorities at the Heathrow airport cautioned that due to adverse weather across the UK and Europe, "Heathrow is operating a reduced flight schedule."

"If you are travelling on Sunday or over the next couple of days, please check your flight's status with your airline before setting out and allow extra time for your journey to the airport as the road and rail networks may be affected," a Heathrow statement said.

Drivers stranded in cars overnight described difficult conditions on Monday morning as British officials struggled to reopen roads. Road traffic was disrupted from Sunday evening as snow hit southern Scotland and parts of Wales before moving southeast through England.

Over 10,000 tonnes of salt were being spread on London roads to facilitate movement.

Heathrow's chief operating officer Normand Boivin said the decision to introduce a revised flight schedule taken to minimise disruption to passengers. Similar disruptions in air traffic have been reported across Europe.

Flights from Rome and Amsterdam's Schiphol airports to UK destinations, and Saturday morning flights to Amsterdam from Birmingham, Manchester and Heathrow were cancelled or delayed.

The British Airways said it would allow passengers scheduled to fly on Sunday to re-book for journeys between Monday and Thursday.

In many parts of Europe, temperatures have fallen as low as -30 C in some parts, and scores of people have died, including more than 100 in Ukraine.