UK weather: Snow leaves schools closed, flights delayed and hazardous roads across England

Weather warnings have been issued for Northern Ireland, north Wales, Scotland and northern and western England

Passengers make their way through the snow to Leeds Bradford Airport which was forced to close while crews worked to clear the runway, as parts of the UK woke up to almost four inches of snow on Friday morning as March continues to feel more like winter than spring. (PA)

Schools were closed, flights delayed and commuters have been left facing hazardous roads after heavy snowfall.

The north of England was blanketed late on 3 March and in the early hours of 4 March, with as much as 10cm of snow reported on high ground.

More than 50 schools in Oldham, Greater Manchester, 28 in West Yorkshire and eight in Leeds were closed.

Heavy overnight snow in East Lancashire also led to the closure of up to 50 schools, with the Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale areas most affected.

Weather warnings were issued for Northern Ireland, north Wales, Scotland and northern and western England as a frontal system came in from the Atlantic. Motorists were advised to take care.

By the early hours of 4 March just over an inch had fallen across high ground in northern England.

Similar snowfall was recorded at Leek in Staffordshire and Shap in Cumbria, and several A roads were closed over the high Pennines in south Yorkshire.

Leeds Bradford Airport was earlier forced to close as crews worked to clear the runway, after 5cm of snow fell overnight. Flights resumed at 9am, but further delays were expected.

Passengers at Manchester Airport were stuck on runways for hours waiting for their outbound flights to leave, after a shortage of de-icers led to a queue of planes unable to fly.

While the south and south-east escaped the snowfall, experiencing a mostly dry and clear day, those areas could be in for a soggy today, warned Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill.

“The frontal system will push its way eastwards as we go through Saturday morning, bringing rain, so it is not looking like a great day across many eastern and south-eastern parts of England,” he said.

Strong, north-easterly winds and wintry showers in many places will ensure temperatures remain below normal at least until the middle of next week. Mr Burkill said: “Late next week is probably the best that we can hope for temperatures to pick up.”

PA