Gritting crews have been out overnight in a bid to keep main roads clear, Durham County Council says.

Press Association photographer Owen Humphreys has been out around Tyneside this morning and has taken some beautiful photos of the snow on the Newcastle Quayside and at the Angel of the North.

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Image source, PA

Image source, PA

There's more delays on the A19 around Sunderland after a crash:

BBC Newcastle

Kevin Wadsworth from the Met Office says the amber warnings in place for parts of the North East, external could well be raised as the weather situation develops in the days ahead.

"We've got high impact, amber warnings in place at the moment. That's just a hair's breadth away from a very rare red weather warning," he told us.

"We're in a position where we could escalate the warning if the position demands later in the week.

"That would be a very serious situation indeed where you've got lots of stranded motorists and communities being cut off."

Image source, Met Office

Colin George
BBC News Online

Here's how Redcar is looking this morning with its covering of snow.

As well as the schools closed in County Durham, here are the other school closures around the rest of the North East:

Tyne and Wear

Dryden School in Gateshead

Hiltop School in Gateshead

Gibside School, Whickham

River Tyne Academy, Gateshead

Epinay Business and Enterprise School, Clervaux Terrace, Jarrow

Northumberland

Nunnykirk - Centre for Dyslexia near Morpeth

Bellingham First and Middle Schools

Kielder Community First School

Otterburn First School

Greenhaugh First School

West Woodburn First School

Teesside

Ian Ramsey Church of England Academy and Harrogate Primary in Stockton

Rye Hills Academy in Redcar, is starting at 10:00 to give people a chance to get in safely

St Peter's Church of England Primary School in Brotton is opening at 10:00 but breakfast club is open from 09:00.

Pathways Special School in Grangetown is opening at 10:30.

And it's a 10.30 start for all learners at Saltburn Primary School and Huntcliff School in Saltburn.

Today's bad weather means there'll be a later start for pupils at Egglescliffe School in Stockton - 10:00.

There has been a collision on the A189 Spine Road.

Here's some common sense advice from Cleveland Police for motorists this morning.

Confirmation from Newcastle International Airport that services have so far not been disrupted by the bad weather and passengers are being advised to "arrive as normal".

Eight schools in the North East are closed now. Here is the full list:

County Durham

Framwellgate School in Durham

Bullion Lane Primary School in Chester-le-Street

Tyne and Wear

Dryden School in Gateshead

Hiltop School in Gateshead

Gibside School, Whickham

Northumberland

Nunnykirk - Centre for Dyslexia near Morpeth

Bellingham First and Middle Schools

Colin Briggs
Look North

There's good news on public transport. No delays or cancellations have been announced at either Newcastle or Durham Tees Valley airports this morning, although BA cancelled the early evening service to and from Heathrow yesterday.

On the railways, frozen points in the Newcastle area meant some early services were slightly delayed but at this stage there are no major problems.

More showers are expected throughout the morning though, some of them heavy and causing severe delays.

BBC Newcastle

As of 07:00, it's been announced six schools in the region will be closed today because of the snowfall. They are:

County Durham:

Framwellgate School in Durham

Bullion Lane Primary School in Chester-le-Street

Tyne and Wear:

Dryden School in Gateshead

Northumberland:

Nunnykirk Centre for Dyslexia

Bellingham First and Middle schools

Colin Briggs
Look North

Well, the Beast from the East is here and the bulk of the snow at the moment stretches from North Yorkshire up through Teesside and into Northumberland.

Showers on and off since the early hours have given Newcastle a couple of inches of snow. City centre roads have generally been treated, but away from that conditions have varied greatly.

The A19 through Teesside is down to one lane in many parts. It's closed southbound at Crathorne, in North Yorkshire, near the A184 Ellerbeck junction, after an accident. And police report the A1M at Leeming is difficult at present.

Meanwhile in rural County Durham, the main A68 is closed at Rowley Bank after an accident involving a lorry.

An overturned lorry caused problems on the A1231 eastbound near the A182 near Sunderland earlier with motorists diverted while the vehicle was removed.

Northumbria Police tweeted this picture shortly before 04:30, although the road has now been cleared ahead of rush hour.

Officers say the road is passable with care.