Freak snowfall and avalanche fears left thousands of British tourists trapped in ski resorts in the Austrian Alps last night. More than 1,000 Brits are stranded in the town of Ischgl alone, but many more are believed to be stuck in ski resorts Galtur, St Anton and Arlberg.

The Tyrol region has seen as much as 10ft of snow fall in the past 48 hours and police are guarding roads and preventing anyone from leaving resorts in case they trigger avalanches. Avalanche warning service spokesman Rudi Mair said: “This is a type of snowfall we have not seen for years. Combined with that, there are very high winds which are making conditions especially dangerous.”

John Thorpe, 33, from Glasgow, who is on holiday in Ischgl with his wife and two sons, said: “It’s a bit like being trapped in paradise. “We were due to head for Salzburg and then on home, but we can’t get down the road. The railway line is out and the road is blocked.”

In respect of Columbus customers that are stuck out in Austria following the heavy snowfall and subsequent avalanche, insurance policies will be automatically extended if you are unable to return but you would need to prove this in the event of a claim.  

• Customers using public transport can claim for missed departure if the public transport they are using to get to their departure point is delayed due to the bad weather and they miss their flight but they must have attempted to reach their departure point.
• Customers using their own from of transport will not be covered under missed departure.

Source: Associated Press