As we've reported a little earlier, flights in and out of Newcastle International Airport are being disrupted because of Storm Bert.

Richard Green, of Wallsend, North Tyneside. was due to fly with Ryanair to Krakow in Poland shortly after 09:00 GMT, but is facing a delay of at least six hours.

"I suppose I'm just resigned to it really," he tells the BBC.

"You can't help the weather, though it does seem like this took the airport by surprise, as much as they said they were prepared.

"Ryanair have offered a £3 refreshment voucher, which as you can imagine isn't going to get you very far."

Scotland has taken the brunt of the snowfall brought in by Storm Bert today.

While the freezing conditions have caused widespread disruptions, some have been taking advantage of the heavy snow:

Image source, Getty Images

Storm Bert has had an impact on Saturday's English Football League programme, with matches at Blackburn, Bradford and Fleetwood being called off.

The Championship meeting between Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth was postponed following an 11:00 GMT inspection because of a waterlogged pitch.

Bradford City's meeting with Accrington Stanley was postponed after a 10:30 GMT inspection of the pitch and the area surrounding the University of Bradford Stadium by referee Michael Barlow.

A statement on the Bantams' club website said heavy snowfall and rain overnight had made the pitch "unplayable".

Across the Pennines, MK Dons' scheduled visit to Fleetwood Town's Highbury Stadium was also called off after a 10:30 GMT inspection.

• Find out more about how Storm Bert is going to affect football schedules todayin our story

Power cuts have affected a small number of properties in central Scotland and Argyll and Bute.

Almost 300 homes in Colonsay, south of Mull, are among those affected.

Power company SSEN said: "So far, in our north of Scotland network we’ve responded to a few localised faults but anticipate some further impact later this afternoon."

It said it had been preparing for Storm Bert.

Paul Ward
BBC Scotland journalist

People in Pitlochry in Perthshire have largely taken the amber snow warning in their stride.

Stephen Nicol was out sweeping away snow from the front of his shop on Saturday morning to make it easier for customers to get in.

“We’re used to it,” he told me.“It was an amber here but it might actually be worse in other places.”

Brad Vannet was setting off from Pitlochry with a group of friends to a bothy in the Highlands.

“We're actually a bit scared of the weather but we're going to be alright.

“If it's that bad, we'll turn back, but if not, we're going to get a nice fire on and have a wee party in the bothy.”

Jeanette Ferguson, on the other hand, was heading to catch the bus back to Paisley after seeing a show at Pitlochry Theatre on Friday night.

She said: "I hear it's not great in the central belt at the moment, so there might be a long journey home.

“Sitting on the bus soaking wet, it couldn’t be nicer, you know?”

National Grid is keeping a tally of all power cuts currently affecting England and Wales as Storm Bert continues to target the UK with heavy rain and strong winds.

According to its latest estimates, nearly 3,000 buildings in south and west Wales as well as southwestern England are without electricity.

Another 1,577 premises are experiencing power cuts in the East Midlands, including four properties in the Northampton area, as well as nearly 500 homes and businesses in the West Midlands.

The M74 motorway has reopened following a crash that earlier closed the southbound carriageway at junction J14 in South Lanarkshire.

Weather conditions in the area had been described as "very poor".

One of the other main links across the border, the A68, was also closed for a time between St Boswells and Ancrum due to a crash involving five vehicles.

The crash was reported shortly after 08:55.

Police said weather conditions were challenging in the area and urged people to consider whether they needed to travel.

Travellers and commuters are being warned the impact of Storm Bert will linger into the start of the new week.

South Western Railway says services between Exeter and London Waterloo will start and finish at Basingstoke today and Sunday.

Journey times between Salisbury and Exeter and between Bournemouth and Weymouth are set to take longer as speed restrictions are in place.

And the company warns services will start between 30 and 60 minutes later than usual tomorrow and on Monday due to safety inspections.

Lothian Buses says it has had to suspend its services in Edinburgh and surrounding areas due to the weather.

The company said: "Due to adverse weather across the network, buses are unable to continue due to safety concerns.

"We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience while our teams work to assess routes."

Lothian Buses is the largest municipal bus operator in UK, with more than 700 buses operating on more than 70 routes.

Photos from around Scotland of the wintry conditions on Saturday.

Image source, David Hampson

Image source, Pia/BBC Weather Watchers

Image source, Bryony Smith

Image source, David Cummings

Image source, Steven Thomson

Image source, PeteyPops/BBC Weather Watchers

Flood alerts in England have more than doubled from 18 to 50 in about an hour as Storm Bert sweeps the country.

There's also one "flood warning" affecting rivers in Accrington and Oswaldtwistle.

A "flood alert" means flooding is possible and residents should be prepared. It's the lowest warning in a three-tier key, which also comprises a "flood warning", meaning flooding is expected, and a "severe flood warning", which is issued when there's a danger to life.

In Wales, flood alerts also more than doubled, rising from seven to 17 to the current 21 in about an hour. A flood warning is in place for river Loughor at Ammanford and Llandybie.

Less than an hour ago, we reported that there were 18 flood alerts in England.

Rough sleepers in Liverpool will be invited to come in from the cold this weekend as the city's council extends its emergency weather programme.

The council says "with Storm Bert hitting our city, our severe weather emergency protocol (SWEP) will remain in place this weekend," in a post on X.

Every year in the lead-up to winter, the council block books hotel rooms and provides temporary, shared "sit-up" communal spaces for those living on the streets.

The protocol is activated when the mercury drops to 2C on any single night. Nationally, the trigger point is usually 0C for three nights or more.

In a post on X, the council says if anyone sees someone sleeping rough, they should call its outreach team (0300 123 2041) who are available 24hrs a day to make visits.

Earlier this week, almost two dozen rough sleepers used the programme as snow fell in Liverpool and across Merseyside for the first time this year.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Traffic Scotland

This was the scene a short time ago on the M8 - Scotland's busiest motorway - near Livingston.

There's a similar picture on much of the country's road network this morning.

Police are urging drivers to take extra care and to think about whether they really need to travel.

You can keep up to date with the latest disruption on Scottish roads here: https://traffic.gov.scot/disruption, external

Chris Fawkes
BBC Weather presenter

Image source, PA Media

As milder air continues to creep northward, snow is now turning back to rain in County Durham.

There’s still more snow to come in parts of Scotland which will last longest north of the Central Lowlands.

The snow is having significant impacts to travel, even on major routes.

Traffic cameras on Scotland’s M8 at junction 3 seems to show traffic at a complete standstill.

It’s going to be a long and difficult journey for some venturing out; the message remains clear, if you do have to travel today check conditions before setting off.

UK Power Networks is urging the public to stay away from power lines as Storm Bert sweeps across the country.

"We’re preparing for strong winds and heavy rain across the east and south east of England this weekend," it posts on X.

The company, which operates power lines across London, the South East and East of England, says anyone who sees a fallen power line should stay away and report it immediately.

It adds that extra staff are on duty this weekend to deal with possible disruptions caused by the weather.

The update comes after earlier reports that more than 60,000 homes lost power overnight in Ireland due to Storm Bert.

Energy Networks Association (ENA) which represents the UK's power network operators said while there have been some localised power cuts, the storm hasn't yet had a significant impact.

A spokesperson said: "Forecasters are describing this as a 'multi-hazard event' with the worst of the weather yet to arrive, and so our members have extra engineers and contact centre teams available, and control rooms are monitoring the storm closely as it develops."

Storm Bert continues to make its presence felt across the UK with its impact ranging from heavy rain to snow depending on your location.

Here's the latest updates:

• Heavy rain, strong winds and further snow are being forecast with the arrival of Storm Bert this weekend
• The Met Office has issued weather warnings for Scotland, central and northern England for snow, rain and wind - with gusts of around 70 miles an hour expected in some coastal parts
• Roads may be affected by deep snow, particularly over higher routes, and some rural communities might be cut off
• Power cuts are quite likely in places as the snow will come down in big wet chunky flakes - more than 60,000 homes were left without supplies in the Republic of Ireland.
• Transport is already being disrupted across the UK, with the best advice being stay at home if you can
• The Queensferry Crossing across the Firth of Forth is closed due to threat of falling ice

• A Met Office amber warning is in place until 17:00 for parts of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Angus where the heaviest snowfall is expected.
• The storm has been described as a multi-hazard event, with snow followed by warm air moving northwards which will see some high winds.

Stick with our live page today to keep up to date with the very latest impact of Storm Bert across the UK.

Flood alerts in Wales have more than doubled in less than an hour as Storm Bert is bringing heavy rain to the region.

The number of flood alerts in Wales has risen from seven to 18.

As a reminder, a "flood alert" means flooding is possible and residents should be prepared.

It's the lowest warning in a three-tier key, which also comprises a "flood warning", meaning flooding is expected, and a "severe flood warning", which is issued when there's a danger to life.

Across the UK, there are 49 flood alerts and one flood warning in England and six flood alerts in Scotland.

You can check out the full list with affected areas at BBC Weather.

Image source, Reuters

Storm Bert has transformed Antony Gormley's Angel of the North into a snow angel like no other.

Locals enjoy sledging under the famous 1998 sculpture - 20m high and 54m wide - in Gateshead, north-east England.

Image source, PA Media

Further north, the magnificent Stirling Castle in Scotland put on its own wintry magic, perched high on a hill, as a determined cyclist carves out a path through the snow.

Storm Bert continues to cause disruption across Scotland with the Queensferry Crossing - which carries the M90 motorway across the Firth of Forth - having to close due to the risk of falling ice.

Road maintenance firm BEAR Scotland took the decision at 10:20 after ice was observed falling from the bridge’s stay cables above the carriageway.

M90 traffic has been stopped while automated barriers at either end of the Queensferry Crossing are moved into position to redirect the motorway over the neighbouring Forth Road Bridge.

Dave Bishop, BEAR Scotland’s south east unit bridges manager, said: “Safety is our top priority, so we always have patrols out monitoring for ice on the Queensferry Crossing’s cables when forecasts suggest this is a possibility.”

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland at www.traffic.gov.scot, external or on X at @trafficscotland.

Image source, Getty Images/ Brian A Jackson

Train lines are closed, roads shut and a gritter has become stuck in snow as Storm Bert brings heavy rain and wind to Northern Ireland.

The railway lines between Belfast and Antrim and Newry and Portadown are closed due to flooding, according to the public transport operator Translink.

The gritter got stranded in the area of the Coleraine Mountain Road, which was closed for a period due to snow but is now described as passable with care.

Other roads have been blocked by fallen debris and motorists have been warned of difficult driving conditions.

You can read more about the impact of Storm Bert on Northern Ireland here.