Snow expected to disrupt travel in and out of Guernsey

Snow at the start of December caused the closure of Guernsey Airport on a number of days

Snow is "likely" to disrupt travel into and out of Guernsey for several days from 16 December, according to the island's senior weather expert.

Martin Crozier, from the Guernsey Met Office, said the Channel Islands were likely to see snow by Thursday night.

He said it would also impact the UK, which would have a knock-on effect.

Deputy airport director Simon MacPhail said if snow caused Guernsey Airport to close they would do all they could to reopen it as soon as possible.

He said the airport was preparing ahead of the next snowfall and the arrival of a new de-icing sprayer should speed up the clearance of the runway.

'Absolutely clobbered'

Mr MacPhail said: "Depending on what arrives and when affects how quickly we can reopen Guernsey Airport."

Mr Crozier said: "The disruption for travellers is due to start on Thursday because that's the day when the UK gets absolutely clobbered.

"I think it will cause problems by the end of the day and for the following few days.

"It's a northerly cold outbreak, they're not generally quite as severe here as they are in the UK, but I think it'll be strong enough to give us some troubles.

"It really depends on how many showers we pick up on the Friday and the Friday night as to whether or not we get a reasonable covering."

Snow at the start of December caused the closure of Bailiwick airports and schools as well as icy conditions on the roads.

With heavier snowfall expected in the UK it may mean that, as at the start of December, few destination airports remain open or aircraft are stranded outside the island.