The whole thing is an utter joke and a reflection on the inability of BAA to do much of anything right. It only happens every 100 years they yelp, but if memory serves, this has happened with some frequency in last few years.
If we spend money on required infrastructure (snow removal equip) we won't have money for other things, they cry. Like what? More body scanners and superfluous security related muck? Or maybe more shopfront facilities. Or more bonuses for the yellow jacketed ones with clipboards? Gotta set your priorities don't ya?
And the latest clownlike bleat, that : The aircraft must have the snow removed from below them before they can move... Cripes guys get a life. How in "entity-not-specific's" name do they do it in other parts of the world like Stockholm, Copenhagen, Boston, JFK, Oslo, etc.... Wow, they actually taxi OVER the stuff! How un-health and safety can you get? Amazing they don't crash airplanes every day there with such ridiculously unsafe practices.
One 3 hour snowfall, 4 days ago, and Heathrow is still on its knees. Unreal.