Weather: Snow Disrupts Travel And Cuts Power

Heavy snowfall has brought disruption to many parts of the UK, with roads closed, flights delayed, rail services cancelled and sports events called off.

Power lines were brought down, leaving tens of thousands of homes in Northern Ireland without electricity, while 6,000 properties in Scotland and hundreds more in areas of northern England also had no power.

The snowy conditions extended south, hitting areas around London and Kent, where forecasters said there could be 2cm-5cm of the white stuff on higher ground.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning for the public to be aware of adverse weather conditions as a slow-moving band of rain, sleet and snow made its way across many central and northern parts, and the south and east.

There may be 5-10cm of snow at lower levels and further significant snow accumulations were likely on hills, with continued drifting and blizzard conditions in strong southeasterly winds. 

There is apparently 18 inches of snow near Wrexham (Pic: Alison Brooks)

One of the worst affected areas seemed to be North Wales, where reader Alison Brooks said there was more than 18 inches (45cm) of snow outside the town of Wrexham.

Airports were forced to shut their runways, and road closures hit motorists.  The AA has warned drivers that even short journeys may be difficult.

More snow is expected tonight but it set to slowly die out on Sunday and forecasters say most places will have a cold, dry day with cold easterly winds.

About 70 people stranded in their cars in Cumbria overnight were put up in a local high school.

Bay Search and Rescue in Cumbria were deployed to help people in the snow

In Northern Ireland, 6ft snow drifts left emergency crews struggling to get through but electricity returned to 5,000 homes overnight.

However, about 35,000 customers were still cut off and teams were out again from first light to continue with network repairs, Northern Ireland Electricity said.

In Scotland, ScottishPower estimated there were some 6,000 homes were still off supply in the south-west area.

Electricity North West was trying to restore power to parts of Cumbria, with 350 customers still without electricity, as engineers were unable to reach them due to road closures.

Leeds Bradford Airport said flights were not currently operating due to the adverse weather conditions. There was also disruption at East Midlands Airport.

Among the problems reported on the railways was disruption on First Transpennine Express services between Huddersfield and Manchester, and no Northern Rail services between Skipton and Carlisle.

The bad weather also hit the sporting programme, with racing at Doncaster and Newbury called off and some football league games in England and Scotland postponed.

A motorist drives past another car stuck in a snow drift near Belfast

Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifier against Russia fell foul of the weather for the second time in 24 hours, with hostile conditions rendering Windsor Park unplayable.

The Group F clash was initially due to take place on Friday night but heavy snow and plummeting temperatures in Belfast saw the fixture postponed after three inspections by Norwegian referee Tom Hagen and the FIFA delegation.

The South West, which was hit by heavy rain and floods on Friday, was expected to have a relatively dry day, with only one flood warning, meaning flooding was expected, in place.

Dozens of flood alerts, where flooding was possible, remained for that region as well as the South East, the Midlands and Anglia.

Sky weather presenter Isobel Lang said: "Southeast England, East Anglia, the Midlands, north Wales, northern England, Northern Ireland and much of Scotland can expect snow today.

"High ground will be worst affected with some heavy snow at times with drifting in the strong winds and also blizzards.

"Low levels could see 5-10cm, two to four inches, of snowfall today although amounts will probably be lower across London."

She added: "Southwest England, south Wales and southern Ireland looks largely dry and relatively mild with some brighter spells.

A snow plough ended up on its side in the bad weather (Pic: Shaun Cullis)

"A few showers may nudge into the extreme southwest later. Tonight will stay dry with a frost forming in places."

The rain was a particular problem on Friday in Cornwall, where a landslide, thought to have been triggered by torrential rain, smashed through a block of flats, partially collapsing the building.

Emergency crews found a woman's body after picking through debris at the Veronica flats in Looe on Friday night. The body is believed to be that of Susan Norman, who was in her 60s and had been unaccounted for, according to the police.

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