After the snow comes the floods: Homeowners are warned to brace for flooding as Storm Larisa batters the UK with more snow and rain this weekend

• Two flood warnings and 61 flood alerts issued across England after heavy snow
• READ MORE: Maps show where snow will fall in the UK tonight and this weekend

Homeowners have been warned to brace for floods as Storm Larisa brought travel chaos to Britain today by battering the nation with 50mph gales, blizzards and up to 16in (40cm) of snow – with more snow and rain expected this weekend.

The Environment Agency have issued two flood warnings – telling locals to act now ahead of expected floods – and 61 flood alerts – advising preparedness for possible floods.

Severe flooding is affecting properties in Warwick along the Middle Avon, with gauges currently measuring high river levels due to heavy rainfall and melting snow, with further rain forecast to fall over the weekend.

Heavy rain and snow in Peterborough and surrounding areas has caused water levels to rise on the River Nene. The Environment Agency say tide lock conditions are likely to cause localised to cause roads to flood.

If you are in an area with a flood warning, you should turn off the gas, water and electricity, move valuables upstairs to safety and move your family, pets and car to a safe area.

Traffic at a standstill on the M62 motorway near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire this morning

A Lamborghini Urus worth around £200,000 new was destroyed after it crashed into a bus stop on A64 York Road in the Killingbeck area of Leeds this morning

Network Rail weather action teams are working to get Merseyrail services moving this morning

Drivers were stuck on the M62 after more than seven hours in miles-long tailbacks today

This tree has been removed from the snowy track near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire today

READ MORE: Maps show where snow will fall across the UK tonight and this weekend amid travel chaos with trains cancelled, roads closed and flights grounded

In the case of severe flooding you should call 999 if you are in immediate danger.

Flood alerts are in multiple counties and cities across England including in: Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire Birmingham and surrounding areas in the East Midlands, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, North Norfolk, Suffolk, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Somerset.

Railway lines between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield were been suspended after strong winds brought down multiple trees. Other services were also cancelled across the North, affecting areas including Huddersfield, Leeds, York and Chester.

After the snow, services across the East Midlands network have been disrupted – with delays expected until the end of the day. The rail company advised people to not travel on affected routes unless essential.

The weather may affect Thameslink and Great Northern services until around 9am tomorrow morning. Northern Rail services will face disruption until 2pm tomorrow.

Motorists on the M62 in Greater Manchester were stranded overnight as heavy snow brought the highway to a standstill, with congestion stretching back eight miles on the eastbound route between Rochdale and Saddleworth. 

Too many drivers ignored warnings to avoid non-essential journeys, National Highways suggested.

The Government-owned company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads insisted it ‘threw everything’ at keeping traffic moving but struggled due to the volume of traffic and drivers ignoring lane closures.

Asked if too many drivers ignored the weather warnings, National Highways operational control director Andrew Page-Dove told the PA news agency: ‘I think the volume of the traffic speaks for itself, particularly this morning. The M62 was queued back to Manchester.

‘”Personally, I probably wouldn’t have set out on a journey knowing that those conditions were there.

‘Were all those journeys essential? I don’t know.

‘I don’t think (the warning) was necessarily as well heeded as we would have liked it to have been.’

He went on: ‘As soon as you get vehicles that lose traction, then that just blocks the road and makes it impossible for our traffic officers, emergency services or indeed our snowploughs to get through.

‘We threw everything at it that we had and I’m absolutely confident that we did everything we needed to do in terms of treatments, in terms of ploughing.

‘It’s just the volume of traffic.

‘The question for me really is what more can we do to get drivers to really consider whether or not their journey is necessary.’

National Highways attempted to keep M62 traffic moving by using just two lanes.

But Mr Page-Dove said some drivers ignored lane closed signs, leading to them becoming stuck.

This ‘exacerbated’ the situation, he added.

Mr Page-Dove also said said weather conditions will deteriorate tonight, adding: ‘We’ve got some very cold weather overnight. We’ve got the risk of potentially freezing rain and then more snow tomorrow.

‘So the conditions are actually going to get worse rather than better.

‘But we will be continuously out there treating the roads and our intention is to keep the M62 open.

‘We have well-rehearsed plans which we execute every time we have these types of events.

‘It is purely the combination of volume of traffic and (drivers) maybe not being as well prepared for the conditions.’

National Highways is warning that a ‘severe frost’ is expected overnight while snowfall from the north Midlands northwards is forecast to cause disruption.

It stated: ‘There is further snow forecast to affect the cross-Pennine routes: M62, A66 and A69.

‘We have issued an alert and would urge drivers to avoid these routes, especially larger HGVs.’

Staffordshire Police said ‘arctic conditions’ since Thursday night caused a number of vehicles to get stuck – particularly on the A53 and the A523 near the town of Leek.

It said some people have been stranded inside their vehicles in sub-zero temperatures for more than 12 hours.

On Friday afternoon, it said a total of eight people in five vehicles had been rescued, with no serious injuries reported.

A Network Rail worker in up to 8 inches of snow above the railhead at Grindleford in the Peak District

Tracks in Grindleford in the Peak District are completely covered in snow

Roads, rails and air disruption in UK today 

AIRPORTS

• Leeds Bradford Airport – Delays due to severe weather
• East Midlands Airport – Delays after runway was closed
• Birmingham Airport – Delays after runway was closed
• Liverpool John Lennon Airport – Disruption due to snow

RAIL

• Liverpool – Most Merseyrail routes suspended due to poor weather
• Huddersfield to Manchester – TransPennine Express services blocked by tree
• Sheffield to Manchester – Northern and TransPennine Express services blocked by trees
• Peterborough to Sleaford – East Midlands Railway services suspended due to snow affecting level crossings
• Huddersfield to Sheffield – Northern services blocked by trees
• Liverpool to Sheffield – East Midlands Railway services blocked by tree
• Ilkley to Bradford/Leeds – Northern services affected by heavy snow
• Leeds to York via Harrogate – Northern services delayed by tree
• Buxton to Hazel Grove – No Northern services due to severe road conditions
• Manchester to Chester – Northern services delayed by signalling issues due to weather
• Princes Risborough and Aylesbury – Chiltern Railways services blocked by flooding
• Exeter to Salisbury – South Western Railway services blocked by tree
• Craven Arms to Llanelli – Transport for Wales services blocked by severe weather
• Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog – Transport for Wales services blocked by severe weather

ROADS

Greater Manchester

• M62, J20 Rochdale to J24 H’field
• A635 Holmfirth Road
• A640 Huddersfield Road
• A672 Ripponden Road
• West Yorkshire
• A6068 Keighley Road
• A640 Huddersfield Road
• A59 Skipton Road

Derbyshire

• A53 Buxton to Leek road
• A57 Snake Pass
• A54 Cat and Fiddle
• A5004 Long Hill
• A515 Buxton to Ashbourne road
• A5012 Via Gellia
• A6024 Holme Moss
• A621 Owler Bar road
• A623 Barmoorclough to Calver
• A624 Chapel to Glossop
• A628 Woodhead Pass

North Wales

• A542 Horseshoe Pass
• A543
• A4086
• A470
• A5 Bangor Road
• A5151 London Road
• A4244

He added: ‘Things are thankfully now improving but the scenes of stranded drivers is the perfect reminder of why it’s so important to carry a warm blanket, a winter coat, extra layers, food and drink and a power bank and phone-charging cable.’

Derbyshire Constabulary urged drivers not to travel in the Peak District on Friday morning ‘unless absolutely necessary’ as most roads in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales areas were ‘impassable’.

The force said it was working with mountain rescue teams to respond to reports of stranded vehicles.

And a Lamborghini Urus worth around £200,000 new was destroyed after it crashed into a bus stop on A64 York Road in the Killingbeck area of Leeds this morning. West Yorkshire Police said no one was injured and the incident just involved the one car.

Severe weather in North Wales has prompted Transport for Wales to suspend trains between between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog. And near Liverpool, Merseyrail suspended many of its services this morning due to poor weather. 

The Met Office still has a number of warnings in place for snow and ice, including two amber warnings covering northern England and the Midlands until midday and Wales until 9am. Four yellow warnings for snow also cover much of the rest of the nation, with the exception of south-east England and western Scotland.

A low of -13.6C was recorded in Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands overnight.

The Met Office said the greatest depth of snow recorded was 27cm (10.7in) at Capel Curig in north Wales.

There was also an official record of 14cm (5.5in) at Bingley in West Yorkshire but a Met Office spokesman said that anecdotally they have heard of observations higher than this in Leeds and Sheffield.

Drivers remained stuck on the M62 this morning after more than seven hours in miles-long tailbacks caused by a night of heavy snowfall.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on long stretches of the road running through Yorkshire and Greater Manchester in the early hours of this morning, with some drivers said to have abandoned their cars.

Kelly-Marie Prentice was one of the motorists caught in the carnage on the M62 and was left stranded in her car for six hours with her 15-year-old son as a blizzard raged outside. 

Speaking from her car, she told Sky News: ‘I would say there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cars. It goes back for 16 miles I think in one way.

‘We’re trying to keep ourselves as awake as possible and not think about needing to go to the toilet or have a drink.’

Palwasha Afzal, 23, began her journey from Manchester to Huddersfield at midnight – and was still on the motorway nine hours later. Her drive usually takes around an hour.

The credit hire consultant said: ‘I’m still travelling on the motorway, travelling from Manchester to Huddersfield, we left at 12am and we’re currently still here.

‘The motorway is horrific. There’s lorries broken down, cars broken down, there’s lorries spinned on the motorway, it’s horrible.

‘We’ve been here for nine hours. Honestly, I’m drained. Luckily my husband is driving not me.’

By this morning, National Highways North West said there were at least three-hour delays eastbound between Rochdale and Huddersfield and delays of at least 90 minutes on the westbound carriageway between Huddersfield and Saddleworth, where two lanes remain closed. 

Simon Peach, the PA news agency’s chief football writer, has been stuck on the road for more than seven hours after covering Manchester United’s Europa League match at Old Trafford in Manchester last night.

He said: ‘I’ve moved about 25 miles over the course of the night, and the first 15 miles or so were clear, so I’ve been at a standstill for a really long time.

‘Since I arrived I’ve seen maybe two or three police vehicles and a couple of travel vehicles. A road sweeper came along once or twice but they haven’t been able to clear the roads properly. 

‘I’ve never had to drive through anything like this before. My drive home would usually be about an hour and a half, the most it has ever taken me is two and a half hours. I could have flown to New York in that time.

‘According to my watch it’s currently -1C, I think at one point it dropped to -4C, but according to my weather app it feels like -7C.’

Video journalist Richard McCarthy was in Manchester to cover the same match. He had just arrived home after 7am having been stuck on the motorway for more than seven hours.

Mr McCarthy said: ‘The worst bits are around Huddersfield. There a couple of highway patrol men gave me a push when I was stuck, but said they couldn’t promise that the road ahead would be more clear. Thankfully it was.

‘I saw lots of abandoned sports cars, one Jaguar left on the road with a shovel stuck in the ground next to it and no driver.

‘There were lots of lorries losing momentum and getting stuck.’ 

High winds cause a tree to collapse on a car in Lovedean in Hampshire this morning

Network Rail weather action teams are working to get Merseyrail services moving this morning

Traffic at a standstill on the M62 motorway near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire this morning

Rail crews were faced with this tree between Shepley and Stocksmoor in the snow today

National Highways North-West estimated at one point congestion stretched to eight miles

Traffic was brought to a standstill on long stretches of the M62 overnight as heavy snow battered the north of England 

Emma Hamilton, 28, who works for the NHS and is from Yorkshire, said she had been stuck for eight hours travelling from Manchester.

READ MORE – Which schools are closed today because of snow? Full list of closures as blizzards hit

She said: ‘There’s lorries broken down all over the road across all lanes. Drivers are having to work out themselves how to go round them. Sort of bobbing and weaving round them.

‘Some lorries have stopped to help other lorries too… I’m trying to get home from the Man United game last night. The traffic was fine on the way there yesterday as there wasn’t as many cars on the road and I set off in good time to allow for the weather.

‘I’m just tired and upset at the lack of any direction from authorities. We’ve all sort of been left to it to direct ourselves. We had the gritter pass us once about 3am and they ploughed about three times then too but nothing since. 

‘They’ve been up and down westbound a lot though and that side has been moving fine.

‘It honestly feels never-ending at this point.’

RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis said the situation on the M62 was likely caused by a large amount of snow falling in a short period.

There was carnage between junctions 21 and 22 of the M62, with heavy snow leaving some drivers stranded for three hours

The M62 was blasted by snow, with some drivers left stranded in the car overnight 

Huge waves hit St Ives in Cornwall this morning at high tide today

Miles-long tailbacks on the M62 this morning were caused by a night of heavy snowfall 

Traffic at a standstill on the M62 near Kirklees, West Yorkshire, this morning due to heavy snow

He said: ‘A substantial amount of snow falling in a very short space of time can quickly lead to problems even if a road has been treated, and it looks like that’s what happened on the M62 overnight.

‘The situation was made worse by drivers overtaking slower moving traffic only to find themselves stuck in a lane of fresh snow.

‘Things are thankfully now improving but the scenes of stranded drivers is the perfect reminder of why it’s so important to carry a warm blanket, a winter coat, extra layers, food and drink, a power bank and phone charging cable.

‘Today we’re seeing a sharp rise in drivers stuck in the snow in Yorkshire, especially around Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford and Hull. Breakdown volumes are also very high in the East Midlands and north of London as drivers attempt to start their vehicles.

‘We strongly recommend motorists think carefully before setting out today. Waiting until conditions improve may well be the best policy.’

In Yorkshire, some 2,000 people were left without power this morning, with a blackout affecting the South Yorkshire area, Northern Powergrid reported.

Motorists in Wales are being asked by police not to travel amid mounting safety concerns.  And in Northern Ireland, 137 schools have been shut due to the weather.

The snow also forced East Midlands Airport, near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, to temporarily shut its runway – although it has since reopened.

And the majority of flights departing Liverpool John Lennon Airport were delayed this morning. 

Flights were also suspended at Birmingham Airport for around an hour to clear snow from the runway.

Derbyshire Constabulary urged drivers not to travel in the Peak District this morning ‘unless absolutely necessary’ as most roads in the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales areas were ‘impassable’.

Roads in Burnley are covered in snow this morning as the Met Office issued weather alerts

Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture in the snow in Gateshead this morning

A man clears snow from the road in Tow Law, County Durham, today after heavy snowfall

A car drives through the heavy snowfall in Lanchester, County Durham, this morning

The force said it is working with mountain rescue teams to respond to reports of stranded vehicles.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland also warned people to only travel if their journey is essential.

Parts of the A66 in Durham and the A628 Woodhead Pass in South Yorkshire were closed overnight due to the heavy snow.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said the storm, which has been named by the French weather service, is bringing rain and snow to the UK.

‘Storm Larisa, which Meteo France have named, is the same low pressure system that is bringing us the bands of rain,’ he said.

A view of the Loxley area of Sheffield this morning after heavy snow overnight

A man walks his dog in Tow Law, Co Durham, this morning after heavy overnight snowfall

A bin lorry pushes through snow in Burnley today after blizzard-like conditions hit the UK

Snow in Sheffield today as severe weather sweeps across parts of the country

A man clears the snow off his car in Tow Law, County Durham, this morning

‘But essentially, we’re on the northern side of the low pressure system and it’s the southern side of that low pressure system that is going to be bringing particularly strong winds to parts of France.

‘So that did originate out in the Atlantic and then it tracked its way eastward towards us, and the weather fronts that are swirling around that low pressure system have then been pushing into the cold air that has been in places across the UK and allowing that rain to start falling as snow across several areas.’

Meanwhile, Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said a pocket of western Scotland covering Glasgow and the county of Argyll may be the only region untouched by heavy rain and snow over the next 24 hours.

‘In places covered by amber warnings, there will be very difficult, treacherous conditions.

He said the worst of the weather is expected in north-west Wales and northern England, where ‘gusts of easily 50mph’ are on a collision course with ’30 to 40cm of snow’.

A cyclist makes their way through the snow in Tow Law, County Durham, this morning

A view of the Loxley area of Sheffield this morning after heavy snow overnight

Snow covers Lee Park in Liverpool this morning as severe weather sweeps across Britain

A lorry drives through heavy snowfall in Lanchester, County Durham, this morning

Snow in Leeds this morning as parts of the country experience severe conditions

Mr Burkill said: ‘The combination of heavy snow and gales is why we’re likely to see blizzards and drifting snow which causes extra hazards on the roads.

‘Ideally, avoid travelling in those periods – but if you have to head out then be aware that journeys could take significantly longer.’

People in the south of England are likely to experience the worst of the rain.

Last night’s temperatures were similar to those on Wednesday night, which was the coldest night of the year so far, before even colder conditions move in tonight.

Mr Burkill said that areas of the Highlands could see -17C, after this year’s record low of -16C was recorded at Altnaharra in the region early yesterday morning.

A view of the Loxley area of Sheffield this morning after heavy snow overnight

Snow covers Lee Park in Liverpool this morning causing treacherous conditions

Snow in Leeds this morning as parts of the country experience severe conditions 

A view of the Loxley area of Sheffield this morning after heavy snow overnight

The weather is expected to clear by the end of today, before then being replaced by another low pressure system, leading to a further yellow snow and ice warning for much of northern England and Scotland from 3pm tomorrow to 6am on Sunday.

‘We will then see another low pressure system, further fronts, moving their way in,’ Mr Vautrey said.

‘So there has been another yellow snow and ice warning issued for Scotland down into northern England for Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning where we could again see further snowfall building up throughout the weekend.

‘And then it does look to remain unsettled as we move into the start of the new week as well.’

National Highways issued a ‘severe weather alert’ for snow covering the North East, North West and Midlands regions until 8am today, where motorists have been warned not to drive unless their journey is essential.

In Leeds, West Yorkshire, police successfully tracked down two suspected car thieves by following a trail of their footsteps in the snow. A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said they followed the footprints to their house, the Telegraph & Argus reports.

And bin collections in Leeds were cancelled today due to the snow – with residents being asked by Leeds City Council being asked to leave unemptied bin outs for replacement collection dates as soon as it is safe.

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