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UK weather: Disruption fears lift as snow moves on from UK

PA Media A cyclist on the snow at Blackmoss Reservoir in Barley, Pendle, LancashirePA Media

Parts of the UK were blanketed in snow on Saturday as forecasters warned of the potential for disruption.

East Anglia woke up to a thick layer that had settled overnight and there were warnings that rural communities could be "cut off", with up to 8cm (3in) of snow forecast.

People in eastern England were warned to expect power cuts and travel delays.

However, by midday snow had stopped falling across most parts of the UK, replaced by rain and sleet in places.

Some further light snow is still expected in the hills and mountains of Scotland.

Parts of Wales and Northern Ireland were mostly cloudy, with some bands of rain in the northern regions.

The Met Office had predicted between 4-8cm (1.5-3in) of snow could fall in the worst-affected regions, and warned drivers to accelerate their cars "gently" and leave a large gap between surrounding vehicles.

But the worst of the wintry weather has passed and earlier amber and yellow weather warnings have been cancelled.

PA Media Blackmoss ReservoirPA Media
Blackmoss Reservoir covered in snow in Barley, Pendle, Lancashire
PA Media A man trekking through the snow in GleneaglesPA Media
A man trekking through the snow at a golf course in Gleneagles
PA Media Two women sledging in GleneaglesPA Media
Two women sledging in Gleneagles

Greg Dewhurst, a Met Office forecaster, said earlier that Saturday was expected to be the colder of the two days over the weekend.

He said: "Temperatures are unlikely to rise above 10C, with a lot of areas closer to freezing."

PA Media A flooded road in Mountsorrel, LeicestershirePA Media
There were also 25 flood warnings across England on Saturday

Luke Miall, meteorologist at the Met Office, said earlier patches of snow could reach parts of Greater London.

He said the snow had the potential to cause some "fairly significant disruption".

There were also 22 flood warnings across England on Saturday, stretching from the South East to the North East, meaning "immediate action is required", according to the Environment Agency.

This is expected to clear up in the evening, going into Sunday, when southern and eastern parts of the UK will see dry, sunny spells.

North-western regions are expected to see showers, with a "spell of more persistent rain" later on in the day.

The coronavirus vaccine rollout has been affected by the weather.

On Friday, over-80s who were due to receive their jab at Newcastle's Centre for Life were told they could rebook rather than risk making a trip in the icy conditions.

And Leeds University has delayed the opening of its asymptomatic Covid-19 test centre.