New UK weather warnings for snow and ice as sporting events cancelled

A fresh yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued by the Met Office for large parts of the UK.

Forecasters say the latest alert covers much of the Midlands, Yorkshire and north and central Wales, with roads and railways “likely to be affected” by the conditions.

Police have declared a “major incident” in Cumbria after heavy snowfalls.

They say people should “only travel where necessary”, especially in the South Lakes and Millom area.

Cumbria Police said the M6 southbound between J38 and J37 was blocked due to jack-knifed lorries and that the A595 between Millom and Furness was impassable.

National Highways said it was also dealing with a large number of stranded vehicles on Saturday evening, particularly on the M6 between J38 and J40.

Police say they are aware of multiple reports of vehicles stuck in traffic because of snow.

Superintendent Andy Wilkinson said: “We are working at pace, to help clear roads so those currently affected can get moving.”

An amber alert has been issued for snow in Cumbria and the Met Office said there could be 10cm to 15cm of snow falling in some areas, followed by showers overnight.

BBC Weather forecaster Stav Danaos said temperatures could drop as low as -11C overnight in northern Scotland.

“We will start with a wintry mix in eastern England and south-east Scotland first thing on Sunday, which will be replaced with outbreaks of cloud and slightly less cold weather – although it’s still going to be chilly,” he said.

Mr Danaos added “wetter and windier weather” is predicted to sweep across the UK by Monday.

The forecast follows heavy snow overnight forcing Glasgow Airport to ground all flights for several hours on Saturday morning.

Despite crews “working through the night” airport bosses had to suspend arrivals and departures due to “heavier than forecast snow”.

Glasgow Airport said flights resumed mid-morning on Saturday, but disruption is still expected and passengers are urged to check with their airline.

A yellow weather warning for ice has been issued from midnight until 0800 on Sunday for London, the east of England, the West Midlands and parts of south Wales.

The Met Office added that rain or sleet falling on frozen surfaces could cause people being injured from slipping and falling in icy conditions.

Travel disruption is possible as well as a “good chance” that some rural communities could become cut off” and be affected by power cuts.

The chilly weather hit sporting events across the UK.

Eleven football matches in the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) were postponed.

The FA Cup tie between Alfreton Town and Walsall was dramatically called off with just minutes to go before kick-off after checks were made on the frozen pitch as a BBC TV crew was set to film the second round tie.

Crewe Alexandra’s FA Cup tie against Bristol Rovers was also called off, while Saturday’s high-profile racing fixture at Newcastle was abandoned due to snow on the track.

Bad weather forced the cancellation of Manchester United’s team flight to Newcastle ahead of their Saturday evening game so they made the journey by coach.

The latest Met Office yellow weather warning will run into Sunday.

Separately, an amber cold-health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency remains in place for five regions in England.

Cold weather is likely to affect the whole health service, with the potential for the entire population to be at risk, the agency’s alert says.

The alert is in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber until 5 December.

Heavy snow has also been causing disruption across Europe this weekend.

Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic have been hit by train and flight cancellations, with the German weather service predicting that 30-40cm of snow could fall by Saturday evening.

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