A number of UK airports – including Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham – had to shut their runways due to heavy snow overnight causing delays, cancellations and diversions.

Manchester Airport reopened both runways at around 09:45 GMT after closing them for several hours on Sunday morning. During that period, no planes landed at the airport and all incoming flights were diverted elsewhere.

At least 12 Manchester-bound planes have had to land at London Heathrow, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow and Paris, according to tracking website Flightradar24.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport’s runway has also reopened, but Leeds Bradford Airport’s runway remains shut.

Snow and freezing rain have swept parts of the UK, with areas under weather warnings told to expect disruption.

An amber weather warning is in place for Wales, while another covers from the Midlands up to Manchester. Less severe yellow weather warnings are also in force for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and elsewhere in England.

The Met Office has said some rural communities could be cut off, with up to 40cm (15.7in) of snow on ground above 300m, before conditions ease later on Sunday.

As a result of heavy snowfall overnight, Bristol and Birmingham airports temporarily closed their runways. Both have since reopened.

Manchester Airport warned that “some departures and arrivals may still experience delays as our teams work to de-ice aircraft and clear walkways”.

Passengers have been asked to check with their airline for the latest flight information.

The amber weather warnings in place are:

• A warning for snow and ice covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, until noon on Sunday
• A separate warning for snow covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District until midnight on Sunday

Amber warnings are more serious than yellow warnings and indicate a possible risk to life, as well as more significant travel disruption.

Fresh yellow weather warnings will also come into force in some areas on Sunday and Monday.

There was 16cm (6.3in) of snow in Bingley, West Yorkshire as of 09:00 GMT on Sunday, while overnight the lowest temperature recorded was in Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, where it fell to -9.3°C (15.26F).

Ice will be a hazard on Sunday – especially for parts of Wales and central England – as rain falls onto sub-zero surfaces and then freezes on contact, according to BBC Weather.

Wiltshire Police said weather was “causing chaos” all over the county, while Avon and Somerset Police warned of significant road disruption. Both forces advised only to travel if necessary.

Stuart Irons, from National Highways, told BBC Breakfast on Sunday that 500 gritting lorries are out across the UK and they have stockpiled more than 240,000 tonnes of salt as part of preparations.

He said: “Predominately it is snowing quite heavily in the north. The rest of the network is looking quite well, it is starting to ease from the Midlands down.

“But obviously as it does start to ease and it does thaw out there is a risk of flooding and there could be some freezing conditions later so we are advising motorists to be aware of areas with excess water.”

The National Grid said there were a number of power cuts and they were working to restore power to some properties, including in Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

Through Saturday night into Sunday morning heavy snow moved to affect much of England and northern Wales.

According to BBC Weather, there is currently around 5cm of snow in many cities including Leeds and York.

The heaviest snowfalls are over higher ground, especially the Pennines and the Cumbrian Fells where there could be up to 40cm of snow by the end of the day, forecasters say.

Heavy rain and thawing snow could lead to flooding in some parts of north-west England and Wales, while localised snow and ice warnings cover parts of Scotland where it will remain cold.

The heaviest snow is expected in higher parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England with up to 30-40cm possible over the mountains of north Wales, the Peak District and the Pennines.

At lower levels some disruptive snow is likely but in places this will mix with rain – falling on cold surfaces, leading to the threat of ice.

Much of England and Wales is covered by a separate yellow warning for snow and freezing rain into Sunday, though there is uncertainty over how disruptive the adverse weather could be, with milder temperatures forecast.

Temperatures are forecast to dip again from Monday, and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) amber cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place.

Additional reporting by Cachella Smith