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A new yellow warning has been issued for now as frosty weather whips up chaos with flights grounded and a major incident declared in Cumbria.
East Midlands Airport closed its runway this morning after heavy snowfall blanketed the ground, halting flights.
It comes after Cumbria Police declared a major incident as drivers struggle in treacherous snowy conditions in the South Lakes area, particularly in Bowness and Grizedale.
Police urged residents to only drive where necessary after an overnight amber snow warning covered large swathes of the region.
Superintendent Andy Wilkinson. Cumbria Constabulary, said: “Agencies across Cumbria are working together in response to the impact that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s roads.
“We are working at pace, to help clear roads so those currently affected can get moving.“I would urge anybody considering travelling in Cumbria tonight, to only do so if necessary. The cold temperatures forecast will make road conditions even more difficult.”
There are three yellow weather warnings for snow and ice in place today, after an amber warning was in force overnight for Cumbria.
The warnings cover much of the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North West, Wales and Scotland.
Cumbria police declare major incident and urge people not to travel after heavy snowfall
Cumbria Police has urged people not to travel to the county on Sunday after it declared a major incident because of heavy snowfall on the county’s roads.
The force said a multi-agency response was ongoing on Saturday evening to “minimise the challenges that heavy snowfall is continuing to have on the county’s road network”.
It has urged people not to travel to the county on Sunday unless necessary, adding that some highway teams had been “verbally abused” as they attempted to deal with the situation.
In a post on social media, Cumbria Police said: “A yellow weather warning for ice is in place for tomorrow morning which will have a continued impact on Cumbria’s roads.
“We would also urge people not to travel to the county tomorrow unless necessary.”
Cumbria snow: Cars abandoned and roads bottlenecked as police declare major incident
Racing: Fairyhouse and Carlisle fit to race as heavy snow puts damper on Leicester and Southwell meetings
Fairyhouse and Carlisle have been given the green light to race this afternoon, but the meetings at Leicester and Southwell have been lost to the cold weather.
Day two of the Fairyhouse Winter Festival, which features a trio of Grade One contests, has survived the threat of frost and a dense fog.
Clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan said: “The fog has lifted, even a little earlier than Met Eireann said it would, which is great.
“You can see the full length of the straight here now and you can also see right around Ballyhack.
“As you know, fog is a bit tricky and it can come and go, but at this point in time, we don’t envisage any more problems.
“We’re in a good place now and we’re all good to go.”
Sheridan had earlier reported on the IHRB Twitter site: “Thankfully, the frost didn’t set in overnight.
“The ground on both tracks is soft. We’ve a completely fresh hurdles and bumper track and we’ve seven or eight yards of fresh ground on the chase track.”
Parts of Cumbria were hit by heavy snowfall overnight but Carlisle passed an early-morning inspection, although racegoers have been warned to be careful on the surrounding roads.
Southwell’s ‘bumpers for jumpers’ card had to be called off after three inches of snow on the track and surrounding areas proved too much to clear.
Leicester were forced to abandon their National Hunt meeting due to the current cold snap.
Village halls turn into bunkers as cars abandoned on standstill roads
Cumbria local Harrison Ward shared what seems to be an idyllic photo of snowed-in Ambleside Parish Centre on X.
But that’s far from the reality. He wrote: “Beautiful for those with planned stays. Less so for those bunkered down in the village halls right now. Roads still shut, don’t travel here.
“Roads at a standstill with abandoned cars as it is.”
In pictures: Snow turns North York Moors National Park into a winter wonderland
Lincolnshire Police warn drivers ‘some roads are unpassable'
Lincolnshire Police said snow had affected driving conditions, particularly in the east of the county.
The force said in a message posted on X: “We’re advising people to avoid driving on our roads due to heavy snow overnight across the county.
“Some roads are unpassable in Lincoln and heading to the east coast. If you have to drive, take time, leave plenty of space from the car in front, and go carefully.”
Heavy snow causes power cuts in Cumbria
The heavy snowfall has caused powercuts in the north as Electricity North West has said they are “responding to the incident caused by the weather”.
The company’s website shows 26 live power cuts in Cumbria which affects around 2,500 people.
Cumbria Police continue to urge caution amid heavy snowfall
Cumbria Police has urged people not to travel to the county as heavy snow lashes down in the region.
Three weather warnings in place today
There are three weather warnings in place today:
Yellow- Snow and ice:
In place until noon today.
East Midlands, North East England, North West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire & Humber
Yellow - Ice:
In place until 11am today
North East England, North West England, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Yorkshire & Humber
Yellow - Snow & ice:
In place from 5pm today until 12pm tomorrow.
Central, Tayside & Fife, Grampian, Highlands & Eilean Siar, Orkney & Shetland, SW Scotland, Lothian Borders, Strathclyde
East Midlands Airport close runway due to heavy snowfall
East Midlands Airport has been forced to close their runway due to heavy snowfall on the ground.
Motorist urged to ‘slow down'
The Central Motorway Police Group has urged motorists to drive safely and slow down on the icy roads.
The unit covers police forces in Staffordshire and the West Midlands.
“There is wide spread snow on the motorway network, please slow down! We are dealing with a large number of traffic collisions caused by the weather,” it said.
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2023-12-03 10:14:00Z
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