Heavy snow and freezing rain caused widespread disruption across the UK, with several major airports forced to suspend flights and many major roads in northern England becoming inaccessible. With the weather forecast to remain severe this Sunday, there are concerns that many rural communities could become isolated.
National Grid, which oversees the country’s electricity grid, said it has been working to restore power following cuts across the UK. The company’s live map shows power outages in Birmingham in central England, Bristol in the west and Cardiff in Wales.
Liverpool and Manchester airports had to close runways and divert flights. Birmingham Airport also suspended operations for several hours overnight but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” this Sunday.
The road network was also heavily affected, on what would have been a very busy day, with families returning home after the Christmas and New Year holidays. On the railways, many services were canceled with National Rail warning that disruption would continue through the working week.
