17 departments stay on snow alert

Almost a third of Paris flights had to be cancelled yesterday - and Montpellier played St Etienne in thick snow

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SEVENTEEN departments in the east of France remain on orange alert - the second highest of four levels - from Météo France because of snow, ice and fierce winds.

The alert, from the Ardennes in the north to the Var in the south, remains in place until 7.00 tomorrow morning.

At its peak yesterday, 40 departments were on alert. Flights in and out of Paris airports were cut by almost a third because of the snow.

The snow led to spectacular scenes at Saint Etienne's match against Montpellier on Saturday afternoon, which had to be postponed for 20 minutes because of thick snow on the pitch. See the video here.

Photo: Canal+ screengrab

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