A BLIZZARD fell over Camden today as the snow storms which have plagued the rest of the country finally hit the capital. Inches of snow were settling on Wednesday afternoon after the snow turned heavy and residents headed indoors. Camden s gritters were o

A BLIZZARD fell over Camden today as the snow storms which have plagued the rest of the country finally hit the capital.

Inches of snow were settling on Wednesday afternoon after the snow turned heavy and residents headed indoors.

Camden's gritters were out in force to combat the whiteout, gritting roads and pavements in key areas outside hospitals, tube stations and doctors surgeries.

The excessive amount of snow which has fallen over the last two weeks has been caused by unusual polar winds coming in from the northeast.

The big freeze is set to continue across Camden and Barnet with plummeting temperatures today and more heavy snowfall tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday with temperatures not reaching above 2C.

Deputy leader of Camden Cllr Andrew Marshall said: ""Every road in the borough got at least one coating of grit on Tuesday night and there is a lot of work going on with pavements," he said.

"If people want to grit their own pavements there are lots of boxes across the borough and we would obviously encourage people to do that."

Camden Council was criticised during the whiteout before Christmas for failing to stop side roads and pavements turning into ice rinks during the frosty weather.

But it has vowed it is ready for the next onslaught with more than 200 staff on standby.