Heavy snow causes travel disruption across UK as amber warnings remain
Stranded vehicles and collisions have left key roads in northern England closed while rail services have also been cancelled.
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Your support makes all the difference.Heavy overnight snow has created significant travel disruption across the UK as the cold start to the new year continues.
Stranded vehicles and collisions have left key roads in northern England closed while rail services have also been cancelled with two amber weather warnings still in place.
Several major airports have reopened but passengers have been warned to still expect delays.
A new yellow rain warning for southern England has also been issued on Sunday where milder temperatures bring a risk of flooding.
The Met Office said some rural communities could be cut off, with up to 40cm of snow on ground above 300m before conditions ease later on Sunday.
National Highways warned that up to 25cm of snow could affect roads in northern England.
Snow closed the A628 Woodhead Pass which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District overnight in both directions between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth.
The A66 in County Durham and Cumbria was closed between the M6 and A1M because of the conditions, while the A1 was closed southbound between the A639 North Elmsall and the A1(M)/A638 Doncaster in South Yorkshire due to a collision involving a car and and a HGV.
The M180 in Lincolnshire was closed westbound between J5 Grimsby and J4 Lincoln due to a serious collision.
Traffic was stopped on the A1M southbound between J61 Bowburn and J60 Bishop Auckland in County Durham due to stranded vehicles on the carriageway before being released just before 10.30am.
The A303 was closed westbound between the A3057 and the A343 near Andover in Hampshire due to an overturned vehicle, and one lane of the northbound A3 in Hampshire was closed on Sunday morning due to flooding following overnight snow, National Highways said.
Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed their runways for several hours on Sunday morning due to heavy snow.
Manchester Airport said delays to some departures and arrivals are still possible as staff de-ice aircraft and clear walkways.
Leeds Bradford Airport confirmed shortly after 2.15pm that its runway had reopened but added some disruption was expected to continue throughout the day.
It had earlier warned that access through security could be temporarily restricted due to the high number of customers already in the departure lounge awaiting flights.
Birmingham Airport had suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” on Sunday.
Bristol Airport reopened at about 11pm on Saturday but warned of ongoing delays because aircraft were out of position following flight cancellations.
All the affected airports urged passengers to check with their airline for updates.
National Rail said the line between Leeds and Halifax via Dewbury was closed in both directions, with disruption on northern routes expected into Monday.
Avanti West Coast trains running to and from Liverpool Lime Street were cancelled due to depot issues with disruption expected until midday.
The Environment Agency had issued 14 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and more than 140 flood alerts across the country on Sunday afternoon.
Two amber weather warnings from the Met Office have been put in place in England and Wales, with 3cm to 7cm of snowfall predicted for much of the affected area, mixing with rain at times in lower-lying areas.
Bingley in West Yorkshire had 17cm of snow up to 11am on Sunday, with Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, both recording 10cm, the forecaster said.
One amber warning for snow and freezing rain, which covers much of Wales and the Midlands as far north as Manchester, is in place until midday on Sunday.
Higher ground in Wales and the southern Pennines could see 15cm to 30cm of snow, the forecaster said, with milder air leading to a rapid thaw in the south of the warning area through Sunday.
The second amber warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, is in place until midnight on Sunday.
A new yellow rain warning for southern England from Cornwall across to Kent was issued and put in place on Sunday morning and will last until 9am on Monday.
A yellow warning for snow and ice covers most of the remaining parts of England and Wales until midnight, while a similar warning covers large parts of Northern Ireland from 6pm on Sunday.
The north of Scotland is covered by a yellow warning for ice until 10am on Sunday, with another for snow and ice in the east of central Scotland until 6am on Monday.
There is also a yellow warning for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am to 9pm.