UK airport chaos as passengers 'stranded on flight for hours' during Storm Bert

Flights at a UK airport have been disrupted by snow after Storm Bert hit the country. Passengers took to social media to complain that they had been left stranded on planes for more than three hours at Newcastle Airport.

Images from the airport showed heavy snow settling on the runway. Airport bosses said a snow team was 'working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum'.

They urged passengers to contact their airline directly if they have any queries. A Newcastle Airport spokesperson said: "Due to Storm Bert, the airport has had continuous, heavy snow this morning.

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"Our snow team is operational and are working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and we will provide a further update later this morning. Passengers are advised to visit our website for the latest flight information and to contact their airline directly if they have any queries."

Disruption has also been reported by passengers at Leeds Bradford Airport, Mirror reports. It comes as heavy snow started to fall across northern England and Scotland on Saturday, November 23.

Drivers were seen struggling as snow began to settle on roads in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, central Scotland and Cumbria early on Saturday. Major transport routes including the A1(M) in County Durham have also been affected.

Other areas further south are expected to see heavy rain, potentially as much as 100mm in just a few hours. Two amber weather alerts for snow and ice are currently in force in parts of Scotland and England, with the first is in place until 5pm covering parts of Perthshire and the southern Highlands.

The second will last until midday and will hit rural areas in central northern England, as well as Bradford and Harrogate, through to Peebles in the Scottish Borders. A yellow weather warning is also in place across Northern Ireland.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said this weekend's storm is expected to be a 'multi-hazard event'. He said: "We're looking at strong winds, some high snowfall accumulation, heavy rain, all in various different parts of the UK.

"So it's quite a complex weather set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it's a very unsettled weekend of weather ahead." National Highways issued a severe weather alert for 'blizzard conditions' in Yorkshire and the northeast.

It said snow could fall for as long as five hours and settle 'quickly at all levels'. Network Rail has meanwhile urged people travelling by train in the north to check timetables ahead of expected weather-related disruption on multiple lines.

An update this morning read: "With the bad weather set to intensify, travel disruption is possible on the East Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line, and North East rail routes."