Heavy snow weather warnings cover much of UK as Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds airports forced to close runways

Heavy snow warnings remain in place in parts of England and all of Wales – with the weather forcing Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds’ airports to close their runways.

There is an amber Met Office warning in place for snow and ice, with the risk of freezing rain covering much of Wales and the Midlands as far north as Manchester until midday.

There is an additional snow warning across northern England until midnight.

Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed their runways for several hours due to snow this morning, urging passengers to check with their airlines for the latest flight information while their teams work to clear the snow.

Leeds Bradford Airport’s runway is still closed as its teams work to clear snow and minimise the impact on flight schedules.

It comes after Birmingham Airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons” but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” to start the morning.

Bristol Airport reopened at about 11pm on Saturday after an earlier closure but warned of delays this morning due to aircraft being out of position.

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One passenger who arrived at Bristol Airport at 2am from Grand Canaria told Sky News that she was among passengers from at least four easyJet flights that had been waiting for their baggage for hours.

“It’s shocking, there’s not a single bag here,” Emma told Sky News.

“They’re waiting for the morning shift to start [for baggage handlers].

“We’ve not been given a biscuit or bottle of water. There’s a vending machine but that was emptied out hours ago,” she said.

“I’m laughing but I feel like crying.”

EasyJet said: “We made arrangements for passengers on diverted flights to continue by road, where possible, and will reimburse those needing to make their own arrangements,” EasyJet said.

“Any customers whose flights have been cancelled have been notified and provided with the option to transfer to an alternative flight free of charge, or receive a refund and we provided hotel accommodation and meals where it was available.

“Although the airport has now reopened customers due to fly to and from Bristol today are advised to check the status of their flights via our Flight Tracker for the latest information.

“While this is outside our control, we are sorry to customers for the inconvenience caused as a result of the weather.”

There has been growing concern over whether this afternoon’s derby Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield will go ahead.

Following a safety meeting this morning, officials said the match will go ahead pending a further inspection ahead of kick-off at 4.30pm.

Where are the weather warnings – and how much snow could we see?

One amber warning for snow, ice and freezing rain covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West England, Yorkshire and Humber and Wales until 12pm.

About 3cm to 7cm of snowfall is predicted for much of the affected area, mixing with rain at times in lower-lying areas.

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.

Another amber snow warning in place until midnight covers the East Midlands, North East England, North West England, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.

Amber warnings are put in place where there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, which could potentially disrupt plans, the Met Office says.

This means there is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property, it adds.

Read more on Sky News:
What is freezing rain and what makes it so dangerous?
Tips for keeping warm – from people in some of the coldest towns on Earth

Less severe yellow warnings for snow, ice or rain are in place throughout the majority of the UK today.

The Met says it is safest not to drive in areas with amber warnings in place, and says to consider alternative forms of transport if journeys are essential.