Travel Chaos As Heavy Snow Batters UK After Met Office Weather Warning

Roads closed, flights cancelled and hospital issues plea after nurses shortage.
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Snow covers Hope Valley in the Peak District at sunrise on Sunday morning
Danny Lawson - PA Images via Getty Images

Britain has faced major transport disruption and power cuts as heavy snow blanketed the country.

Sennybridge, near Brecon in Wales, recorded the deepest snow at 30cm (12in) as much of Wales, the Midlands and parts of northern and eastern England were affected.  

Southern England and London also witnessed flurries as the Met Office isssued an amber warning at 4am on Sunday.

Snow is forecast to stay in Northern Ireland and Scotland but give way to icy conditions elsewhere overnight.

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A lorry crashed on the busy A50 amid snow near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on Sunday
Darren Staples / Reuters
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A bus was seen stranded in Camden, north London, after heavy snowfall on Sunday
Yui Mok - PA Images via Getty Images

Conditions have caused chaos on Britain’s roads on Sunday, with at least one lorry jackknifing in Staffordshire, and several prangs elsewhere.

Meanwhile, flights were cancelled at major airports, most notably Birmingham, which is closed as workers battled to clear its runway of ice.

There were road closures on sections of the M1, M40, A417 and A458 following multiple pile-ups. Trains were cancelled across the country because of points failures and bus routes cancelled completely in the worst affected areas. 

Electricity supplier SSE says up to 24,000 homes in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire were left without power and across the South West of England and Wales about 2,900 customers have been affected by power cuts.

A P&O ferry, the Pride of Kent, ran aground in high winds at Calais, in northern France. There were no injuries and the ship was refloated within two hours.

An NHS trust in the West Midlands was forced to appeal for help online after the snow left hospitals with nurse shortages.

Heart of England trust, which represents hospitals in Birmingham and Solihull, asked on Twitter for people with 4x4s and to volunteer to help get nurses to hospitals.

But the weather has also made for a more picturesque start of the day, as HuffPost UK readers sent in snaps of the scenes that greeted them this morning.

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Heavy snow was reported on Sunday morning in Buckinghamshire
Jaqueline Housden
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A light fall of snow was seen near the Hertfordshire-Essex border on Sunday
James Martin
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The scene for one HuffPost UK reader in Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, on Sunday morning
Jason Wise
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Another reader captured this picture in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, on Sunday
Jane Riding
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This snap of Conway, north Wales, was also sent in
Jan Tavinor
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Another reader captured this stunning view of the Sperrin Mountains in Northern Ireland
Kevin Corcoran
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The scene in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, on Sunday morning
Tony Ashling
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Cars travel on a cleared road near Diggle, Greater Manchester, on Sunday
OLI SCARFF via Getty Images
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One man braved a morning run on Sunday amid snow-covered hills in Greater Manchester
OLI SCARFF via Getty Images
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A dog in the snow in Kingstone, Staffordshire on Sunday morning.
Cheryl Stacey

The Met Office added: “A spell of heavy snow is likely over parts of Wales, the Midlands and parts of Northern and Eastern England on Sunday.

“Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations.

“There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off.”

The forecaster has extended the amber warning towards Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.

It said that many northern parts of England will see less impact with a yellow warning in force there.

UK travel updates

Significant traffic build-ups have been reported in Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire.

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Highways England's traffic map showed traffic was not moving on the M11, M1, A405 and parts of the M25 at 12.00pm GMT on Sunday

The A50 near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, was blocked earlier after a lorry jackknifed on ice.

Check the latest information at Highways England here.

Snow has been falling heavily in Birmingham city centre and Birmingham Airport suspended flights to clear its runway. It has now re-opened.

Stansted Airport in Essex has said it will limit the number of take offs and landings on Sunday as a result of the snow.

Flights into Heathrow, the UK’s biggest airport, were also being disrupted.

Police in Wales and the Midlands urged motorists not to travel on Sunday.

Highways England said motorists should prepare for any eventuality by carrying “warm clothing, food, drink, required medication, boots, shovel and a torch”.

There are major train delays across central parts with Virgin Trains in the Midlands particularly affected. 

There will be a limited train service between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport.

In Wales all lines between Newport and Hereford are blocked.

Check the latest information at National Rail’s website here.