Travel disruption as snow grounds flights and shuts motorway lanes

Snow has disrupted travel across the northwest. Credit: Stephen Jones / Highways England

Snow has grounded flights and brought roads to a close across northern parts of the UK.

Overnight snow on Wednesday saw Manchester and Liverpool airports temporarily halt flights, with weather warnings in place until the afternoon.

Commuters using the M6 were also delayed as lanes were closed in the morning in order for snow to be cleared.

All flights in and out of Manchester Airport were grounded on Wednesday as the runway was "temporarily" closed to clear the snow.

The airport said that its workers had attempted to make the runway safe throughout the night.

One of the airport's runways re-opened around 11.30am.

Passengers were urged to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

"We continue to work to mitigate the challenging conditions and hope to minimise further impacts," a statement read.

"However, the safety of our customers and staff is our number one concern and there is likely to be some disruption this morning."

Liverpool Airport said that flights had also been temporarily suspended for most of Wednesday morning as workers attempted to clear their runway.

The runway re-opened around 11am, but the airport warned that flights would likely be delayed.

Just one lane was operating on the M6 southbound between J25 and J27. Credit: Highways England

Commuters across the northwest of England were subject to long delays on the roads owing to the wintry conditions.

Snow closed lanes southbound on the M6 near Wigan, with ploughs dispatched to clear the white stuff.

Just one lane was operating between Junctions 25 and 27 for a number of hours, with drivers urged to exercise caution.

Greater Manchester Police reported that snow was affecting travel across the region.

The force said that several road traffic collisions had already been reported by Wednesday's rush hour.

Dozens of schools were also forced to close on Wednesday because of the snow.

Schools across the northwest and in Wales were among the worst affected, with more than 100 closed across the latter.

Many schools and headteachers took to social media to announce the closures, with some instructing pupils on how to access their homework.

However, other tweets also told the youngsters to enjoy the weather

The set of Coronation Street was also left blanketed with snow on Wednesday.

Britain's longest-running soap tweeted pictures from the set, including a snowman, alongside a a "Weatherfield Report".

It was not clear whether any filming was intended on the day.