Flights have been disrupted at the airport amid heavy snow and passengers reportedly left ‘stranded on flights’ for several hours as Storm Bert began to unleash a weekend of wintry weather
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UK weather: Storm Bert brings heavy snow to Newcastle
Flights at Newcastle International Airport have been disrupted by snow after “multi-hazard” Storm Bert finally made landfall in the UK.
Passengers on social media said they had been left stranded on flights for as long as three hours as images showed heavy snow settling on the runway. The airport has not yet confirmed whether flights have been suspended. The Mirror has approached a spokesperson for comment.
Disruption has also been reported by passengers at Leeds Bradford Airport this morning. It comes as heavy snow started to fall across northern parts of the UK on Saturday after weather warnings – including a rare amber alert – came into force across the country for Storm Bert.
Drivers were seen battling the elements after snow began to settle on roads in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, central Scotland and Cumbria early on Saturday. Major transport routes including the A1(M) in County Durham have also been affected. Other areas further south are expected to see the precipitation fall as heavy rain, potentially as much as 100mm in just a few hours.
Two amber weather alerts for snow and ice are currently in force in parts of Scotland and England, with the first is in place until 5pm covering parts of Perthshire and the southern Highlands. The second will go on until midday, and will hit rural areas in central northern England, as well as Bradford and Harrogate right through to Peebles in the Scottish Borders. A yellow weather warning is also in place across Northern Ireland.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said this weekend’s storm is expected to be a “multi-hazard event”. He said: “We’re looking at strong winds, some high snowfall accumulation, heavy rain, all in various different parts of the UK. So it’s quite a complex weather set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it’s a very unsettled weekend of weather ahead.”
National Highways has issued a severe weather alert for “blizzard conditions” in Yorkshire and north east, adding that snow could fall for as long as five hours and settle “quickly at all levels”. Network Rail has meanwhile urged people travelling by train in the north to check timetables ahead of expected weather-related disruption on multiple lines. An update this morning read: “With the bad weather set to intensify, travel disruption is possible on the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line, and North East rail routes.”
