UK weather: Thousands left without power, flights cancelled & roads closed after heavy snow – with more warnings to come

THOUSANDS of Brits have been hit by power cuts, flight cancellations and travel chaos after heavy snow.

The UK was buffeted with wintry weather and sub-zero temperatures overnight and many across the country woke up to the white stuff this morning.

The coldest spot last night was Loch Glascarnoch in Scotland where the mercury fell to a bone-chilling -11C.

Power outages across England and Wales have been reported by the National Grid and other power operators. 

More than 1,000 homes currently affected across all of Wales and parts of southern and central England. 

Hundreds of Brit travellers heading abroad or returning to the UK have seen flights cancelled or massively delayed thanks to the deep freeze.

Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport closed a number of their runways this morning due to snow.

One Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to Manchester was diverted away from the snowy airport twice today.

On both occasions, SQ52, which was due in to Manchester at 9.25am this morning, diverted to London Gatwick Airport.

After initially landing at Gatwick at 9.48am, it left again for Manchester an hour later before circling the peak district for 45 minutes.

After holding in the area, it flew back to Gatwick again, landing at around 1.55pm according to data from Flightradar24.

While Singapore Airlines has indicated the flight was due to attempt the shuttle to Manchester again at 4pm, data suggests the aircraft is still at Gatwick.

It comes after Birmingham Airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons” but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” to start the morning.

The Manchester Airport team said it was experiencing "heavy snow" but runways have since reopened.

In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the airport warned that some departures and arrivals "may still experience delays as teams work to de-ice aircraft and clear walkways."

"Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra travel time today," the post added.

One disgruntled passenger had earlier tweeted: "Sitting on a plane for nearly two hours now.

"People getting annoyed. Expect another hour before we leave."

Manchester Airport told the BBC they have had a number of diversions this morning as planes have been unable to land - with many going to London.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport remains open despite a runway closure earlier but delays are still affecting travellers.

Those heading abroad or returning to the UK are advised to contact their airlines for the latest flight information. 

Meanwhile, Leeds Bradford Airport's runway will remain temporarily closed, despite hopes it would be reopened by midday. 

"Due to ongoing heavy snowfall, the runway at Leeds Bradford remains closed until further notice," it said in a statement. 

"Due to the high volume of customers in the departure lounge, we may need to temporarily restrict access through security, this will be managed in flight priority order," it added. 

A rare amber health alert is already in place for all of England as officials fear the weather will place a strain on medical services.

Yellow weather warnings have also been upgraded to amber over fears rural communities will be cut off.

A Met Office amber warning for snow and ice is still active but is due to end at midday today.