Heavy snow in the UK has led to air and rail services being cancelled. This has illustrated to gap year travellers the importance of travel insurance, say industry experts.

As children across the UK celebrated that schools have been closed, travellers were left stranded after Liverpool, Leeds/Bradford and Manchester airports delayed their flights.

Those relying on trains to get them to the airport have also been struggling, with many rail services being either delayed or cancelled in the freezing conditions. Parts of Scotland, northern England and Wales were most affected, with around six inches of snow falling.

It is expected that the bad weather would be heading southward throughout Tuesday, with forecasters predicting further snow and ice over the coming days.

Prime minister Gordon Brown admitted that the country has problems when snow comes, stating: "There are always difficulties when we have a long spell of bad weather."

A top official at a leading travel insurance company commented that comprehensive travel insurance should cover gap year students for repatriation and medical costs.

He said that travel insurance will also cover any cancellations and dangerous sports or activities.