Heavy snow and high winds bring treacherous travelling conditions

Traffic on the M62 trans-Pennine motorway ground to a halt after snow swept in

Heavy snow overnight has brought treacherous conditions to parts of the UK, with motorists in affected areas warned to travel only if essential.

Yellow warnings of snow and ice are in force across much of the UK, with freezing conditions and strong winds also disrupting rail and air travel.

Some areas may see 50mph winds and 40cm (1ft 3in) of snow as blizzards cause "significant disruption".

Heavy snow has caused long delays on the M62 trans-Pennine motorway.

Drivers reported stationary traffic on the eastbound carriageway between Rochdale in Greater Manchester and Huddersfield in West Yorkshire.

National Highways said two lanes had been closed between junctions 20 and 22, causing around 17 miles of congestion by midday.

Dozens of Twitter users described spending hours stuck in standstill traffic early on Friday morning.

One woman who got stranded on a nearby road told the BBC she had "never seen anything like it" and had to be helped by mountain rescue.

Kim Ward was on her way home from to Halifax from a concert in Manchester overnight with her sister-in-law, niece and a friend.

The M62 is in the area subject to the Met Office's severe weather warning for snow

She told the BBC: "The M62 was shut, so we thought we would take the A road.

"We thought we would be alright, but as we got higher and higher, it just got worse and worse.

"We spent a couple of hours completely stuck, freezing - we actually started nodding off in the car.

"Next thing we knew mountain rescue were knocking on the window with their torches."

Ms Ward continued: "I have been on numerous ski holidays, but I have never seen anything like it, up on the top there.

"It's scary, thinking you are going to actually spend the night here in the car."

A severe weather warning for snow from National Highways remains in place across the North East, Midlands, and North West on Friday.

Temperatures overnight were expected to match Wednesday's, the coldest of the year so far, before falling further on Friday night.

BBC weather forecaster Billy Payne said blizzard-like conditions could occur later on Friday as east to north-easterly winds strengthen, particularly over high ground.

"This could of course make travel more difficult with snow piling up more in some areas," he added.

The winter weather has been named Storm Larisa by the French weather service.

A postal delivery worker wearing shorts in heavy snow fall during his delivery rounds in Oldham, Greater Manchester

Hundreds of schools across the UK had to close because of the conditions.

Forecasters say there could be further sleet and snow at the weekend, and yellow warnings are in place for northern England and Scotland until Sunday morning.

Similar warnings covering north and central England, Wales and northern Ireland are due to lift at 09:00 GMT on Saturday.

Milder air is forecast for Sunday into Monday when a thaw will begin and conditions will start to improve.

Yellow weather warnings are issued when severe weather that could cause disruption to everyday life is possible, according to the Met Office's website.

Heavy snow in the North West on Thursday is expected to continue overnight

Merseyrail said the first trains on Friday would be cancelled due to the weather conditions.

Meanwhile, National Highways said it had closed the A66 between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria in both directions, while the A628 Woodhead Pass in Derbyshire was closed in both directions for about 14 miles between Flouch, South Yorkshire, and Hollingworth, Greater Manchester.

Derbyshire County Council added it had closed six roads, with many minor roads also impassable.

The wintry conditions have caused at least 350 schools to shut in Wales.

Air passengers are being advised to check with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.

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The RAC said there had been 50% more breakdowns than usual in the worst affected areas - with some drivers stuck in the snow in parts of South Yorkshire and Wales.

"Given the weather, we recommend thinking carefully before setting out," RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said.

"With more snow forecast, things are likely to get worse on the roads before they get better."