Flights suspended as heavy snow hits and temperatures plummet

Flights have been temporarily suspended at Birmingham Airport due to heavy snow.

The airport said flights would resume once the runway was cleared of snow.

"Our teams are working hard to get flights in/out as soon as they can," the airport said on its website.

"We apologise for any delays suffered but safety is our number one priority," it added.

Snow is continuing to fall heavily in large parts of the country, including the Midlands, Wales and parts of Scotland.

Rural communities could become cut off as roads become increasingly challenging with up to 20cm of snow expected to fall in some areas, the Met Office has warned.

Many rail services are affected, with Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Trains running some replacement rail services but both said they are attempting to run a usual service.

South Western Railways is being affected by high winds in the south, with speed restrictions placed on most of the network.

The train company has warned this may delay services by up to 10 minutes.

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Snow is expected to blanket the Midlands and Wales but is forecast to thin into lighter showers as Sunday progresses.

Meanwhile London and the South and southern parts of Wales, will be rattled by harsh winds of up to 70mph and heavy rain, the Met Office said.

An amber snow warning came into effect in the Midlands, Wales and parts of northern and eastern England at 4am.

The Met Office said: "Road, rail and air travel delays are likely, as well as stranding of vehicles and public transport cancellations.

"There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off."

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Snow in the warning areas is widely expected to reach depths of 10cm while the worst-hit areas could reach up to 15-20cm.

A yellow wind warning for London and the South, parts of eastern England, the South West and Wales has also come into effect.

There is concern the weather could bring "short-term loss of power and other services" along with transport disruption in the regions.

Highways England warned drivers travelling through the north west and north east of England and the Midlands to prepare for "any eventuality" by carrying "warm clothing, food, drink, required medication, boots, shovel and a torch".