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UK weather: ‘Mini Beast from the East’ brings snow and ice to Britain causing travel disruption

Passengers urged to check information before travelling and drivers warned of treacherous road conditions

Lydia Smith
Sunday 18 March 2018 10:11 GMT
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UK weather: The latest Met Office forecast

Severe weather has caused travel disruption in parts of the UK as a wintry snap dubbed the “mini beast from the East” tightens its grip.

Road, rail and air travel have been affected by snow and ice and airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted have urged travellers to check flight information before travelling.

Drivers have been advised to take care in the treacherous conditions and police have warned there are no safe routes across the Pennines into Cheshire.

The Met Office has issued weather warnings for north-west England, Yorkshire, the Midlands, London and south-east England.

Snowploughs have been dispatched to the M62 after the weather brought traffic to standstill.

A number of train companies have warned of possible service disruptions, including on CrossCountry, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Heathrow Connect, Southern and Thameslink services.

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Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live blog on the wintry weather disruption caused by the “Mini Beast from the East”.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 09:05
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The Met Office has issued amber weather warnings for north-west England, Yorkshire, the Midlands, London and south-east England.

Yellow warnings are in place across much of the UK.

Disruption to power supplies is possible, particularly in parts of south-west England, the Met Office has said.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 09:17
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Gatwick Airport has said flights are arriving and departing as scheduled, but has warned travellers to check information and allow for extra time before setting off.

More than 100 flights to and from Heathrow were cancelled on Saturday and the airport warned of possible disruption on Sunday.

Stansted and Luton airports have also advised passengers to check the latest travel information with their airlines.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 09:28
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  ↵Police have warned there is currently no safe route across the Pennines into Cheshire, with many roads closed or blocked because of the snow.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 09:35
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Passengers travelling from Birmingham, East Midlands and Leeds Bradford airports have warned of possible disruption due to adverse weather.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 09:45
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Snow and cold weather is affecting train journeys across areas of the UK.

National Rail has warned of possible changes to services run by Arriva Trains Wales, CrossCountry, East Midlands Trains, Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Connect, Heathrow Express, Hull Trains, Island Line, Northern, South Western Railway, Southern, Thameslink and the TransPennine Express.

Virgin Trains has warned of disruption to some services due to damaged overhead wires.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 10:07
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It may be dubbed the “mini beast from the east” but the Met Office has said “high pressure over Scandinavia” is the reason for the return of the cold weather.

It is not expected to be as “prolonged” as the cold snap at the end of February, but temperatures will struggle to rise high above freezing this weekend.

“Bitter easterly winds mean that not only is the country facing very low temperatures, but also a significant wind chill risk throughout the weekend, making it feel several degrees colder than thermometers show,” the Met Office says.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 10:14
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Officers in Lincolnshire have warned drivers to take extra precautions after spending hours digging out stranded cars between Baumber and Horncastle on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 10:27
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The runway at Bristol Airport has been closed until midday because it is too icy to be used. Some flights have been cancelled and others delayed. Passengers are being advised to check with their airlines for specific flight information.

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 10:36
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Not everyone is fed up of the snow:

Jon di Paolo18 March 2018 10:42

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