More flights cancelled as new cold snap hits UK

Drivers are being warned of treacherous conditions as the mini ‘Beast from the East’ is expected to cause air and road travel.
Snow has fallen across many parts of the UK as a new cold snap begins to grip the country.
Most areas are likely to see wintry showers with gusty winds making it feel bitterly cold.

As a mini “Beast from the East” is expected to hit Britain, the Met Office has warned of snow accumulations of up to 10cm (4in).

Amber warnings for snow and ice are in place from 4 pm on Saturday until 9 am on Sunday for northwest England, Yorkshire and the Midlands, as well as in London, the South East, and east of England.

:: Sky News weather

“The best way to describe this is as a real return to wintry conditions,” Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said.

“The last couple of days have been quite mild across parts of the UK – we got to around 16C (on Thursday) in Wales – but by (Saturday) all of us will be back to very cold weather.

“Bitterly cold is the best way to describe it – temperatures on the face of it probably just around freezing, but with wind it’s going to feel well below freezing.”

More than 100 flights scheduled to fly to or from Heathrow Airport on Saturday have already been cancelled.

Most of the affected journeys are on short-haul routes, though some long-haul flights have also been affected including British Airways services to New York and Chicago.

British Airways has cancelled some domestic flights to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester and some services to European destinations.

Sky News meteorologist Chris England said it would turn “much colder” over the next few days, with a “raw wind from the Baltic bringing widespread snow showers”.