Schools and airports closed after heavy snow in England
Heavy snowfall has been affecting the North of England
Hundreds of schools have been closed and three airports have suspended flights after heavy snowfall across large areas of England.
Manchester Airport has suspended flights until at least 1200 GMT and there are no flights out of Leeds Bradford and Blackpool International.
A man died when two lorries collided in the snow on the M60 in Manchester.
The snow has now moved into the Midlands and is expected to continue moving south throughout the day.
The Met office has issued severe weather warnings across most of the country.
Up to 4in (10cm) is predicted in parts of the Midlands later and motorists have been warned not to travel unless necessary.
Air passengers have been urged to check their flight status with their airline.
Heavy snow has caused chaos for motorists
Flights from Liverpool John Lennon Airport are now running after being suspended earlier. However, 10 flights have been cancelled and others may be subject to delay.
A Met Office spokeswoman said the snow was heaviest in the north of England but was moving south and would hit Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire later.
She said snow had begun to fall in the south west of England, which was also experiencing severe problems with ice on the roads.
In Devon and Cornwall, more than 100 schools were closed due to heating failures and the cancellation of school bus services. The Eden Project in Cornwall was closed due to snow and ice.
The lowest temperature recorded overnight was -10C (14F) at Bournemouth Airport, which remained the coldest part of the country today at -6C (21F).
More than 100 schools have been closed in Greater Manchester and a similar number in Lancashire. In Merseyside and Cheshire, about 90 were shut.
In Cumbria, about 140 schools have been closed and more than 50 were shut across Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear.
About 250 schools have been closed across West Yorkshire and nine in north Staffordshire.
Gritters have tried to open those roads up and, I'll be honest with you, they are really, really poor
Greater Manchester Police spokesman
North West Ambulance Service said it could only respond to life-threatening cases due to the poor weather conditions and urged people to stay indoors.
In North Yorkshire, a man had a lucky escape when his car was hit by a train at a level crossing in North Yorkshire. It is thought the vehicle became stuck in snow near Selby.
Bus operator Stagecoach said it had suspended many of its services across Greater Manchester, but was trying to operate on main routes into the city.
Bus services in Sheffield and Barnsley were also suspended. Bus operator First South Yorkshire said a large number of buses were stuck in the snow.
Roads on higher ground in Greater Manchester have been described as "poor" in some areas.
A police spokesman said: "Our advice is if you don't have to travel today - please don't.
Traffic was at a standstill on the A1 in Newcastle following heavy snowfall
"In Oldham and Rochdale - particularly higher ground areas - the snowfall has been really quite heavy.
"Gritters have tried to open those roads up and, I'll be honest with you, they are really, really poor. If you can avoid these areas please do."
Greater Manchester Police also urged the public to only call 999 in an emergency, where there was a threat to life or a crime in progress.
Supt Karan Lee said: "I would like to reassure the public that we will attend all emergencies however our response vehicles could also be hindered by the adverse weather conditions and it may take us a little longer to get to you."
Police have been dealing with a "multitude" of minor collisions, as well as a number of serious crashes, she told BBC Radio Manchester.
Elsewhere in the country 10 train services between London and Leeds on the East Coast Main Line have been cancelled.
Budget airline easyJet has cancelled eight flights at its operations at Manchester and Luton airports.
The Highways Agency said the A66 in Cumbria was closed both ways between the junctions with the A1 and A685.
Roads closed
Lanes were closed on parts of the M6 and M60 in Greater Manchester after a number of lorries jack-knifed.
The M58 was shut completely because of snow on the carriageways.
Some roads in higher remote areas of Oldham and Rochdale have been described as impassable.
The Highways Agency said continuous salt treatment was being undertaken on the motorway network in high risk areas.
Spokeswoman Jenny Hart said there were "very difficult" driving conditions on many roads and urged motorists to avoid travel wherever possible.
"Despite constant gritting we have accumulations of snow on the carriageways but our snow ploughs have been out through the night," she said.
