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UK hit by snow and floods as 'danger to life' warnings remain

The Angel of the North is covered in snow, while Shrewsbury faces record flood levels (PA)
The Angel Of The North in Gateshead is covered in snow, while Shrewsbury faces record flood levels (PA)

Hundreds of schools have been forced to close across Northern England due to heavy snow and rain battering the region.

The Met Office has issued several yellow warnings as wintry conditions continue across Britain in the wake of Storm Dennis and torrential rain threatens to flood more towns.

The yellow warnings indicate a “danger to life”, and drivers are being advised to exercise caution while travelling.

Northern parts of the UK were blanketed in snow on Monday morning as further flood warnings were issued across England and Wales.

Snow fell across Scotland, as well as in parts of Cumbria, Northumberland and Yorkshire.

A traffic officer talks to the driver of a crashed car near Leeming Bar in North Yorkshire after overnight snow hit parts of the UK. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)
A traffic officer talks to the driver of a crashed car near Leeming Bar in North Yorkshire after overnight snow hit parts of the UK. (Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

In Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, cars were pictured slowly making their way through the conditions.

Read more: Corbyn condemns Johnson for not visiting flood-hit communities

Pictures on social media showed snow covering cars and gardens as far south as Leeds.

A yellow weather warning for snow in parts of Scotland in place until late on Monday. There are also yellow warnings in Northern Ireland and northern England.

Swans swims past a flooded building in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, as more rain in northern England could lead to further flooding in already sensitive areas, the Met Office has said. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday February 21, 2020. See PA story WEATHER Storm. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire
Swans swim past a flooded building in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire. (Steve Parsons/PA)

The Met Office has warned that rural communities could become stranded and warned people to expect delays and cancellations to travel plans by road, rail and air.

Heavy rain has already seen the River Wye reach its highest level in 200 years.

A flooded New Road Cricket Ground in Worcester, as a third consecutive weekend of stormy weather is bringing further flooding misery to already sodden communities.
A flooded New Road Cricket Ground in Worcester.
Flooding water is pumped from the Lowther pub in York after the River Ouse burst its banks, as a third consecutive weekend of stormy weather is bringing further flooding misery to already sodden communities.
Flooding water is pumped from the Lowther pub in York after the River Ouse burst its banks.

In Cumbria, police warned drivers to exercise caution and described conditions on the roads as “hazardous”.

In addition to the chill, floodwater was still causing risks across the country.

The Met Office has issued Yellow weather warnings
The Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings.
Flooding in York after the River Ouse burst its banks, as a third consecutive weekend of stormy weather is bringing further flooding misery to already sodden communities.
Flooding in York after the River Ouse burst its banks.

Dave Throup of the Environment Agency (EA) said an incredible 400 tonnes of water a second was bearing down on Shrewsbury as the River Severn rose.

Read more: Minister says climate change means government can’t protect everyone from flooding

A severe “threat-to-life” flood warning is in place for Shrewsbury, alongside more than 90 other flood warnings and 182 less serious flood alerts across England and Wales.

The warnings and alerts stretched from St Ives in Cornwall to Carlisle near the Scottish border.

An Environment Agency spokesman said ongoing flooding is possible for parts of the West Midlands, along the Severn and Wye, and in parts of the north of England, including in the lower River Aire in Yorkshire.

He said: “This rain is falling on saturated catchments where river levels are already high.”

The bleak outlook follows more than a fortnight of downpours and flooding that started with Storm Ciara, continued with Storm Dennis and kept going with the weekend’s storms.

A car in flood water in York in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)
A car in flood water in York in the aftermath of Storm Dennis. (Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

Over the weekend, environment secretary George Eustice defended Boris Johnson for not visiting flood-stricken areas, despite a third consecutive weekend of stormy weather.

Eustice told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “In a cabinet government it’s not a one-man show, it’s right that on certain operational things such as this that the prime minister will ask one of his cabinet members to lead, I can’t see anything wrong with that.”

The Met Office said no warnings were currently scheduled past Monday but advised that showers, some wintry, “could place an additional burden on some river catchments” and encouraged people to stay up to date with flood warnings from the EA.