London: Heavy snowfall and extreme wintry conditions disrupted life in Britain today with flights and train cancellations and schools being shut, as Prime Minister David Cameron asked Britons to heed weather alerts.
Manchester Airport was forced to close down, suspending all flights as the weather disrupted travel all across the northern England.
The airport resumed services in about four hours' time and advised passengers to arrive as normal.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said:?"Following the poor weather experienced this morning, flights have now resumed but are subject to delays.
"The safety and security of all of our passengers is of paramount importance and we ask for them to come to the airport as normal but to check with their airline for any further update," the spokesperson added.
Some flights have also been delayed and cancelled at Newcastle International Airport.
Elsewhere, hazardous driving conditions have been reported and hundreds of schools have been closed across the North.
Parts of Yorkshire, Derbyshire and the North East are the worst affected. Bus services were affected in Sheffield.
Schools across northern England have also been closed, with 150 in West Yorkshire, about 80 in the Bradford area, 45 in east Lancashire, 40 in South Yorkshire, 34 in Cumbria and 20 in Manchester.
In Scotland, wintry weather is causing hazardous driving conditions and has led to closure of 130 schools.
The Met Office said the deepest snow fell in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland with 9ins (23cm) falling at Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire, 8ins (21cm) at Glenanne in Armagh and 5ins (13cm) at Spadeadam in Cumbria.
London could be hit with sleet and snow showers this week as an arctic blast reaches the UK today.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister David Cameron has urged Britons to heed weather alerts and said he had requested an update from the government on "heavy snow contingency plans".
