Tailbacks in Tuesday’s evening rush hour had stretched to a record 2,300 kilometres by 17.30 because of the snow, the ANWB motoring organisation said. Earlier indications suggested the snow had caused few problems on the roads.

The tailbacks were due to slow moving vehicles rather than accidents. On motorways in the Netherlands, if the average speed slips below 50 kph, it is counted as a jam, broadcaster NOS said. In many places drivers were moving at no faster than 30 kph.

The problems were particularly acute around Eindhoven and Maastricht.

The transport ministry’s roads department has been out in force to keep roads clear. According to one estimate 6.3 million kilos of salt were spread on the roads on Tuesday. The department also upped the estimated snowfall from a maximum of three to five centimetres over much of the country.

Rotterdam The Hague Airport reopened to air traffic early on Tuesday afternoon after a closure of several hours due to the snow.

Disruption elsewhere has been minimal. No flights were cancelled at Schiphol and delays have been kept to a minimum, a spokesman said.

The NS has been running a reduced train service all day because of the snow. This gives the company the space on the tracks to deal with any eventual problems, a spokeswoman said following claims it had over-reacted.

The KNMI weather bureau says more light snow could fall in some places on Wednesday and it will remain cloudy, with temperatures between zero and three degrees.