The national weather service, France Meteo, said snowfalls measuring up to 35 centimetres (14 inches) had been recorded in parts of the western Brittany and Normandy regions and issued a snow alert for the southwest part of the country.

Police said accidents occurred soon after snow fell in the southwestern regions of the Lot-et-Garonne and the Landes.

In one incident, around 20 vehicles piled into each other, although there were no serious injuries, officers said.

Spanish authorities on the border with France had warned they may be forced to close crossings to trucks if traffic conditions worsened.

© AFP

                                                              Subject: France news