SOUTH Western Railway has apologised to commuters who spent a freezing night stranded on a broken-down train as Arctic weather caused travel misery.

Hampshire has seen some of the worst incidents triggered by Storm Emma, with heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures resulting in major disruption that began on Thursday and continued yesterday.

Drivers and rail passengers bore the brunt of the crisis but the emergency services were also hit.

South Central Ambulance Service urged people with powerful 4x4 vehicles to come forward and help them transport staff around the region.

An ambulance had to be towed out of the snow at Breamore and one of three fire engines called to an incident at The Green Dragon pub at Brook also had to be pulled clear.

Train services finished early yesterday as snow and ice continued to take their toll on the rail network.

In a message to passengers South Western Railway said: “We are urging you not to attempt to travel. If you have already travelled please return as early as possible.

“We cannot guarantee to get you to your destination this afternoon.”

It followed the all-night ordeal suffered by at least 100 passengers who boarded the 5.35pm service from Waterloo to Bournemouth on Thursday.

The train broke down near New Milton but commuters were still stuck on the train yesterday morning after a night with no heating and only limited food and drink.

Photographs posted on social media showed passengers trying to sleep in luggage racks above the seats, with one disgruntled commuter branding the rail service “a joke”.

Passengers said they endured more than 15 hours of freezing conditions and claimed they received no information from South Western Railway between 1am and 6am.

The company has apologised to customers caught up in the drama.

In a statement issued yesterday morning the company said: “They have all been taken to Bournemouth station, where Southern Western Railway staff are providing hot food and drinks.

“Our staff, together with Network Rail, have battled tirelessly throughout the night to try to get trains moving in very challenging conditions.”

Meanwhile drivers on the A31 between Cadnam and Ringwood suffered a similar ordeal trapped in their cars as heavy snow and blizzard-like conditions closed the busy dual carriageway.

Problems began at 5pm on Thursday and continued for more than 12 hours.

Police classed it as a major incident and the army were drafted in to help, along with firefighters and even coastguards. James Alford and some of his fellow farmers used their tractors to clear snow from the road.

The emergency services and volunteers handed out food and drink to those stranded in their cars.

A police spokesman said: “The focus was to evacuate the most vulnerable motorists from the scene and offer food and drinks to those who had to remain with their vehicles.

“Police worked Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and South Central Ambulance Service to assess people at the scene and evacuate those either with health problems or requiring medical treatment.

“Rest centres were set up by Hampshire County Council and food and drink was taken to those who were stranded.”

Speaking at the height of the emergency Assistant Chief Constable Dave Powell said: “I know that many people have been stuck for several hours and we are working as fast as we can to get to them, but at this stage we are limited to moving people from the scene rather than moving vehicles.

“As well as colleagues from all emergency services, colleagues from the military are being drafted in to help.

“My message to those who are struck is that we will get to you as soon as we can, so please stay in your vehicle, keep your engine running and keep as warm as you possibly can.”

Yesterday police urged motorists to avoid the area while any abandoned vehicles still at the scene were removed.

Other roads rural areas across Hampshire were eerily quiet as people either took the day off or worked from home.

Villagers living in the Cadnam area said most of vehicles on the roads were 4x4s – the only ones able to cope with the treacherous conditions.

Passengers hoping to travel from Southampton airport were warned that no Flybe flights would leave until at least 3pm.

Meanwhile opposition councillors hit out at civic chiefs in Southampton after the city was brought to a standstill.

Tory councillors said the authority did not seem to be prepared to cope with the bad weather despite warnings issued by the Met Office in the past few days.

They claimed that many roads were not gritted, leaving motorists stranded in their cars for hours.

But council leader Simon Letts has hit back saying that the authority did everything it could be done in a short period of time.

It comes after Itchen Bridge, Millbrook and Redbridge flyover were closed on Thursday afternoon, while drivers spent hours in their cars trying to get in and out the city.

Cllr James Baillie, Conservative spokesperson for environment and transport, said: “It was chaos in the city. The weather forecasts for a week said that the storm was coming in and I am not sure what precautions were taken.

“It seems like the council was waiting and see what happened rather than acting.”

But councillor Letts said on Friday morning the council decided not to fine anyone who left their vehicles abandoned.

He added: “There was chaos in the country. I don’t think this is a Southampton issue. Everything that could be done in the short time we had has been done.”