Manchester airport closed: Snow forces closure as Met Office issues weather warnings

Heavy snowfall has forced Manchester Airport to temporarily close both of its runways for around two hours, as the Met Office issues a series of warnings yellow warnings for snow and ice across the UK

Manchester Airport has reopened its two runways after heavy snowfall (

Image: MEN MEDIA)

Britons brace for travel chaos today as snow, ice and freezing temperatures grip the country and briefly force Manchester Airport to close both of its runways.

The runways were closed for more than two hours as snow significantly disrupted the busy airport. Several international flights have been diverted, including to Birmingham Airport.

The airport said in a statement: "Following the temporary closure of our runways due to snow, we are pleased to announce that operations have resumed. We thank passengers for their patience."

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Significant delays are expected until late afternoon.

The Met Office has issued a series of yellow weather warnings for snow and ice covering the South West of England, Wales, the North and South West of Scotland and Scotland. Northern Ireland.

The statement came amid a cold and frosty start to many places this morning, with temperatures dipping to -4°C or -3°C in cities, and even -8°C in some areas rural.

Manchester Airport said earlier: "Following a period of heavy snowfall, we have temporarily closed both runways.

A flight to Krakow was caught in weather delays (

Picture:

DafyddGraig /Twitter)

"Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume as soon as possible.

"Passengers are encouraged to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information."

A level 3 cold weather alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency, warning of conditions which "could increase health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt service delivery", is also in place until at 9:00 a.m. Friday.

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