Stranded vehicles and collisions have left key roads in northern England closed and rail services have also been cancelled following significant snowfall this weekend
Significant snowfall is likely to force the closure of some schools today – extending the Christmas break for many excited youngsters.
Temperatures plunged to -11C on Sunday as a snowstorm moved north, stranding vehicles and causing crashes on key roads across northern England. Rail services were cancelled and airports, including Manchester, experienced delays.
More snow is forecast for parts of Northwest of England today, including across West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. Some schools in these counties and elsewhere won’t open their doors today as a result, and so these children will be able to enjoy their Christmas break some more.
Many local authorities are yet to decide on whether schools will be open, and must assess overnight’s snowfall in order to reach a call. Families are advised to use the government’s tool – which collates such data – to find out if their school is open. You just need to enter your postcode in the toolbar here.
Have you been impacted by the weather? Contact webnews@trinitymirror.com
Safety is the paramount concern and authorities will take note of a number of serious crashes across the country on the weekend, each impacted by the weather. The M180 in Lincolnshire was closed westbound between J5 Grimsby and J4 Lincoln due to a serious collision on Sunday and a crash caused delays on the M5 in Somerset on Saturday.
Some schools have made an early decision to close today. For instance, Etchells Primary School and Thorn Grove Primary in Stockport, Greater Manchester, are partially shut – but this may be due to the flooding the town has experienced this month. When The Mirror is aware of any further school closures, this page will be updated.
The weather was even severe enough to threaten the Liverpool v Manchester United clash in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Two meetings were held to discuss safety before the decision to go ahead with the tie at Anfield was confirmed and, in the end, points were shared in a lively 2-2 encounter.
But Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed their runways for several hours on Sunday morning due to heavy snow. Manchester Airport said delays to some departures and arrivals are still possible as staff de-ice aircraft and clear walkways.
Leeds Bradford Airport confirmed shortly after 2.15pm that its runway had reopened but added some disruption was expected to continue throughout the day. It had earlier warned that access through security could be temporarily restricted due to the high number of customers already in the departure lounge awaiting flights.
Birmingham Airport had suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” on Sunday.
Bristol Airport reopened at about 11pm on Saturday but warned of ongoing delays because aircraft were out of position following flight cancellations. All the affected airports urged passengers to check with their airline for updates.
Full list of closures
Burnley
Burnley Rockwood Nursery School
Burnley St James’ Lanehead Church of England Primary School
Pendle
Barnoldswick CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Barrowford School
Colne Primet Primary School
Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Va Primary School
Nelson Whitefield Infant School and Nursery Unit
Pendle Community High School and College
Pendle Vale College
Pendle View Primary School
Salterforth Primary School
Ss John Fisher and Thomas More Roman Catholic High School, Colne
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Rossendale
Northern Primary School
St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School and Nursery
