Parts of central and northern Europe as well as Britain have been gripped by a cold weather front since the weekend. While snow blanketed the French capital and froze the Eiffel Tower, heavy snowfall tangled traffic and stranded drivers in Germany and the Czech Republic. Workers at the Eiffel Tower had to use a blowtorch to melt the ice collecting on its surface and snow was blocking roads and halting trains and school buses across northern France. Here are some photographs of frozen Europe from the past several days.